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Planting conditions

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Nurseries & Gardens

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Nyssa sylvatica

Also Known As

Black Gum
Black Tupelo
Blackgum
Sour Gum
Tupelo

Plant type

tree, aquatic

size

H: 50'-60'
W: 25'-30'

planting zones

3a-10b

More Options

Nyssa sylvatica plant details

Nyssa sylvatica is a slow-growing broadleaf deciduous aquatic tree with green foliage. In spring chartreuse and white flowers emerge followed by black and blue fruit. Features glossy texture. Attracts bees making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - mostly shade and high water. Drought tolerant once established. Does well in lean, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something humidity tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Nyssa sylvatica

Plant type: aquatic tree
Plant family: nyssaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 25 FT - 30 FT - wide, 50 FT - 60 FT - tall
Flowers: chartreuse and white blooms in spring
Uses: distinctive bark, fall color, native plant

GROWING CONDITIONS for Nyssa sylvatica

USDA Zones: 3a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly shade
Watering frequency: high
Resistant to: humidity
Soil needs: lean, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

A wonderful and adaptable tree to 30-60' that is much loved by honeybees. With a stately rounded habit and horizontal branching, this wonderful eastern native is found primarily growing in wet bottomlands, (although it can handle some drought) and can be found growing in rocky ravines as well. One of its best traits is that the glossy-green leaves develop spectacular, brilliant red and orange fall color. Female trees produce dark-blue fruits which are edible but very sour. Male and female trees are both needed to produce the fruit, (although all trees will have some perfect flowers); ours are unsexed seedling. S/M-W

By: Forestfarm

A highly adaptable tree, the Black Gum is prized for its bright red fall color and its ease of growth. Trees are extremely cold hardy but also thrive in hot climates, and the roots will tolerate both wet and dry soils equally. Sweet Gum needs very little care and develops a tall, straight trunk with wide branches covered in a thick carpet of green leaves. Although most trees in cultivation grow to 20-30 feet, in the wild they often grow to 40 or 50 feet tall and sometimes to 80 to 90 feet.

Also known as Tupelo, Sour Gum, and Pepperridge.

By: Red Panda Nursery

This North American native can be quite variable from seed, ranging from dense and shrubby to tall and pyramidal. But reliably, it is an inferno of fall color! 60' tall x 25' wide. Bees love the inconspicuous flowers, and birds love the dark blue fruits that stand out against the fall leaves.Minimum temperature: -20°F

By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

With its brightly colored, shiny autumn leaves and wide range of adaptability, this is a great landscape tree. Unlike the more widely planted Sweetgum, even seedlings of Blackgum are dependable for fall color. Needs pruning as a young tree. These pot-propagated plants ensure transplant success.

By: Heritage Seedlings

Early red fall color on glossy leaves take this native to the top of our list of useful large shade trees. Awards: First Class Certificate, Award of Merit, and Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Recommended by: Ohio Plant Selection Committee.

By: Fantastic Plants

Great fall color even in the South! The Blackgum or Black Tupelo reliably produces fall color in shades of red, purple, orange, and yellow. This is a moderate to slow growing medium to large native deciduous tree with a pyramidal form and horizontal branching. Tiny green spring flowers are followed by small black olive-like fruit that are appreciated by birds and other wildlife. Tough, reliable, and drought tolerant once well established. Blackgum is tolerant of poorly drained clay soils and is adaptable to most acidic soils. A good choice for almost any situation where a durable colorful tree is desired including urban settings where it is suitable as a street tree.

By: Almost Eden

Black Gum. Ultimately 30-50 feet tall. Shiny green leaves that turn almost flourescent yellow to orange to scarlet to purple colors in the fall. Moist, well-drained, acid soil. Full sun or light shade. Prefers a site sheltered from the wind. Zones 3-9.

By: Hoot Owl Hollow Nursery

Black Gum Lustrous, dark green leaves, turning yellow, orange, red to purple in fall.

By: Oregon Grown Tree Farm

Fissured bark, glossy green foliage has brilliant fall color. Tolerant of poor soils & urban conditions. Zones 4-9.

By: Lael's Moon Garden

Fantastic fall color, it's always the center of attention in any Fall garden where it's found. Glossy leaves produce some of the brightest and most reliable fall colors Autumn has to offer. It has a rounded pyramidal crown with a dominant central leader and lower branches that often arch to the ground. It's lateral branches form a pattern that, when seen from beneath, look like spokes on a wheel. New leaves are slightly reddish purple maturing to a good dark, shiny green about 4-5" in length. Casts light shade rather than heavy, tap-rooted so you can plant beneath it.