The Black Gum, also known as the Black Tupelo, Sour-gum, Pepperidge, and Tupelo
Gum, are all of the genus Nyssa.They are broad leaved and tall, usually being
60-80 feet, and 2-3 feet in diameter.
Nyssa sylvatica
The Black Gum, also known as the Black Tupelo, Sour-gum, Pepperidge, and Tupelo
Gum, are all of the genus Nyssa.They are broad leaved and tall, usually being
60-80 feet, and 2-3 feet in diameter.
The leaves of the Black Gum are simple and arranged alternately on the branch, and are a silvery color beneath.The leaves of the Black Gum are shaped ovately, and have a wavy, entire margin. The bark is reddish brown in color and broken into long irregular ridges and lozenge- shaped plates. On some of the older trees, the bark may be up to an inch thick. The flowers are yellowish green, staminate and pistillate being on different trees. The flowers appear from April to June, and by October, a bluish black fruit about a half inch long, appears on the tree.
The range of the Black Gum is from southwestern Maine to northern Florida length-
wise, and from the Atlantic Coast to the middle of Texas by the width, the Black Gum
is a very wide spread tree.
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