NAME:
COMMON – Black Gum
BOTANICAL – Nyssa sylvatica
FAMILY – Nyssaceae

DERIVATION:
Native to eastern North America, coastal northeast, south to central Florida and Mexico

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS:
Mature size of 40 to 70 feet tall but typically reaches 20 to 30 feet in cultivation.

LOCATION:
Prefers dry upland forests, occasionally in 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.

ATTRIBUTES, VALUE, UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS:
The black gum is grown as an ornamental for its beautiful, scarlet red, fall color and for its shiny, dark green leaves in the summer. Bees produce a rich and popular tupelo honey from the nectar.

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