Common name: Black gum, black tupelo
Botanical name: Nyssa sylvatica
Virtues: Good shade tree that adapts to many different growing conditions. Female trees bear dark blue fruits that attract birds.
Foliage: Deciduous foliage is dark green in summer, turning bright yellow, orange, red and burgundy in the fall.
Habit: Deciduous tree to 50 feet tall with a spread of 30 feet.
Season: Summer and fall.
Origin: Low, wet woods and sandy sites in the eastern half of North America.
Cultivation: Grow in full sun or partial shade. Prefers moist acidic soil. Very tolerant of wet soil. Will even adapt to occasional drought. For fruit set, you need both a male and a female tree. USDA Zones 3–9.
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The fruits have a high lipid content and appear just in time to fuel birds for their fall migration. Coevolution is a wonderful thing!
I’d love to hear from anyone who has grown the Black Gum tree in Zone 3!
100% agree, a lovely native with astounding and reliable fall color. I am also a huge fan of our native Smoketree, Cotinus obovatus.
a few nice cultivars have recently shown up in the trade, oweing to the new found popularity of this fine ornamental. I’m hopeful my little ‘Red Rage’ will be the center piece of my backyard fall display.