Nyssa sylvatica
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- NY-suh sil-VAT-ee-kuh
- Description
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Blackgum or Black Tupelo is a native deciduous tree that grows throughout North Carolina and can reach 50 to 80 feet tall, but typically reaches 20 to 30 feet in cultivation. Trunk diameter is typically 1 to 2 feet, but can reach 4 to 5 feet in taller specimens. It tolerates many soil types and moisture conditions, but is slow growing, reaching about 12 to 15 feet in about ten years, growing faster with a good watering and fertilizer schedule. It is found in dry upland forests (occasionally bottomlands), savannas, swamp margins, and upland depressions that are occasionally flooded. It can also be found in the hills and mountains on dry slopes with oaks and hickories. The Blackgum is grown as an ornamental for its beautiful, scarlet red, fall color and the shiny, dark green leaves in the summer.
It has a flowering habit that is polygamodioecious, meaning that some plants have mostly male flowers while others have mostly female flowers, with most plants having a few perfect flowers. This would account for some plants being loaded with egg-shaped blue-black berries, while others may only have a few berries.The tree does well in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers moist, acidic soils, but is adaptive and tolerates poorly-drained soils and standing water, some drought and some dry soils, at least in the wild. Female trees need a male pollinator to set fruit. The nectar from the flowers is sought after by bees and Tupelo honey is highly prized.
This tree is an excellent choice to support wildlife in the landscape. However, it should be sited in a permanent location because its long taproot makes it difficult to transplant later. It is tolerant of drought, heat, dry and wet soils, and moderately salt tolerant. It withstands wind and ice and salt spray in coastal locations.
Key Identifying Characteristics: Leaf shape (broadest near the tip), irregular coarse teeth near the tips of some leaves, and branches held more or less 90 degrees to the main stem,
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or pests. Leaf miner and scale are occasional insect pests. It has some susceptibility to leaf spots, canker, and rust.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Entrance Statement, Fescue Grass
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Autumn Cascades'
Weeping - 'Green Gable'
Upright branching, red fall color - 'Red Rage'
Bright red fall color, little leaf spot. - 'Red Splyndor'
Red fall color - 'Sheri's Cloud'
Variegated foliage - 'Snow Flurries'
- 'Sparkler'
- Swamp Tupelo
Nyssa sylvatica v biflora - true swamp species found with cypress. Narrow leaves, deeply ridged seeds. - 'Wildfire'
New growth bronze-red - 'Zydeco Twist'
Contorted growth
- 'Autumn Cascades'
- 'Autumn Cascades', 'Green Gable', 'Red Rage', 'Red Splyndor', 'Sheri's Cloud', 'Snow Flurries', 'Sparkler', Swamp Tupelo, 'Wildfire', 'Zydeco Twist'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Autumn Cascades'
Weeping - 'Green Gable'
Upright branching, red fall color - 'Red Rage'
Bright red fall color, little leaf spot. - 'Red Splyndor'
Red fall color - 'Sheri's Cloud'
Variegated foliage - 'Snow Flurries'
- 'Sparkler'
- Swamp Tupelo
Nyssa sylvatica v biflora - true swamp species found with cypress. Narrow leaves, deeply ridged seeds. - 'Wildfire'
New growth bronze-red - 'Zydeco Twist'
Contorted growth
- 'Autumn Cascades'
- 'Autumn Cascades', 'Green Gable', 'Red Rage', 'Red Splyndor', 'Sheri's Cloud', 'Snow Flurries', 'Sparkler', Swamp Tupelo, 'Wildfire', 'Zydeco Twist'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Nyssa
- Species:
- sylvatica
- Family:
- Nyssaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood is touch, cross-grained, hard to work, and warps easily. It is often used for crates, cross ties, rough floors, and pulpwood.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Layering
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern North America
- Distribution:
- Maine south to Florida, west to Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri northeast through Illinoise and Michigan and Ontario.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Its young sprouts are eaten by white-tailed deer. The fruits (berries) are enjoyed by thrushes and other songbirds, wild turkeys, black bear, foxes, raccoons and opossums from August through October. It is one of the most important food sources for fall song bird migration. The natural hollows that form in the tree are a refuge for reptiles, tree frogs, bats and other wildlife. The spring flowers are a nectar source for bees.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Resistant to fire. This tree is somewhat resistant to deer damage.
- Edibility:
- Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Produces a thin sharply acid pulp that is pleasant to roll in the mouth as a masticatory, it is also used in preserves. The honey bees produce from the flowers of this tree is highly prized.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 20 ft. 8 in. - 35 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Open
- Pyramidal
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Female trees only. In the late summer to mid-fall the tree produces a bluish black egg-shaped 1/2 inch wide fruit clustered on stalks up to 1 1/2 inches long. Fruits are available August-October. Thin, bitter smelling flesh surrounds the small, ribbed seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Umbel
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers bloom in the spring from April-June are not showy. Individual flowers are about an 1/8 of an inch.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Orange
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Oblong
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are 3 to 6 inches long and 1/2 to 3 inches wide, alternate, roughly oval with sharp, blunt points. Leaves turn yellow, orange, red to purple in the fall. On sprouts or young trees, the leaves may have a few coarse teeth.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Black
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Rectangle
- Square
- Bark Description:
- The bark is light grey and deeply furrowed to create rectangular or square ridges (cobbled). Bark on younger trees is furrowed between flat ridges and matures into quadrangular blocks that are dense, hard, and nearly black.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Slender limbs grow at right angles to the trunk.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Lawn
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Native Garden
- Nighttime Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Bats
- Bees
- Frogs
- Pollinators
- Reptiles
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Fire
- Heat
- Salt
- Wet Soil
- Wind
