Black gum - form and fall foliage
the black gum is one of the first trees to display fall color and often has an irregular form
Black gum - bark
older bark of the black gum is blocky
Black gum - flower
flowers not showy, light green
Black gum - leaves
leaves are simple, oval, with a pointed tip
Black gum - fall color
red fall color on black gum trees can be observed as early as September

Plant Characteristics:

  • Tree: medium sized tree reaching up to 60 ft; on younger trees branches often stand at right angles to the trunk; crown is flat topped or irregular
  • Bark: gray-brown with shallow, irregular furrows; on mature trees resembles alligator hide, deeply furrowed and blocked
  • Twigs: moderately thick, red-brown to gray; 1 to 2 in curved spur shoots often present
  • Buds: oval, pointed, green and light brown, darkening to brown in winter
  • Leaves: alternate; simple; glossy, dark green, oblong, 2-5 in long, pale underleaf; shapely tip; occasionally with several coarse teeth near tip
  • Fall Foliage: red, turning in September; one of the first trees to assume fall color
  • Flowers: males and females on separate trees; light green flowers in clusters hanging from stalks; appear with leaves
  • Fruit type: a ½ in long purple/blue drupe that ripens in late summer and fall; each containing a single ridged seed

Additional Details:

  • Wood is used for crates, baskets, chopping bowls, rolling pins, tool and broom handles, gunstocks and pistol grips.
  • Sections of trunk were used in colonial days as “bee gums,” or places for bees to make their hives.
  • The juicy fruits are eaten by grouse, wild turkey and other wildlife.
  • Black gum heartwood often rots, creating dens for wildlife, including black bears.
  • This is an attractive landscape tree because of this fall foliage.

A member of the Dogwood Family, also known as Black Tupelo, Sour Gum and the Pepperidge. The name Nyssa originates from the Greek word for water nymphs of river and lakes.

References:
Brown, R. and M. Brown. 1972. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Baltimore, MD.
Foster, S. and J. Duke. 1990. A field guide to medicinal plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
Grimm, W. C. and J. Kartesz. 2002. The Illustrated Book of Trees. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, PA.
Harris, J. and M. Woolf Harris. 1994. Plant Identification Terminology: An illustrated Glossary. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, UT.
Peterson, L. 1977. A field guide to edible wild plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
Virginia Department of Forestry. 2022. Common Native Trees of Virginia – Tree Identification Guide.
The Wildflower Center Staff. 2023. Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin.