# Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

> A medium tree, pyramidal when young with horizontal branches, developing blocky 'alligator' bark with age. Its glossy leaves give one of the most reliable scarlet fall displays in the East, and small blue-black fruits on female trees feed robins and other songbirds in early fall. Slow, tidy and wind-firm, it works as a street, lawn or rain-garden tree where the soil is acidic. Cultivars such as 'Wildfire', 'Afterburner' and 'Gum Drop' are widely sold.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/nyssa-sylvatica · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Black tupelo, Tupelo, Sour gum
- Family: Nyssaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 15 m; spread 9 m
- Growth: Slow growing; lives about 400 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Acidic, moist, well-drained soil with organic matter; tolerates clay and periodic flooding; yellows on alkaline soil
- Native range: Eastern North America from southwestern Maine and extreme southern Ontario west to Michigan, Illinois and Missouri and south to Florida and eastern Texas.

**Benefits:** Fall color, Shade, Wildlife, Birds, Pollinators, Edible, Flood tolerant, Storm resistant, Long lived, Salt tolerant

**Good for:** Street tree, Yard shade, parks, Streambanks

**Watch out for:** Messy fruit

## Care

Plant container-grown stock in spring in its permanent spot, since the taproot resents moving. Water regularly the first two years. Prune in late fall or winter. Largely trouble-free apart from leaf spots, cankers and chlorosis on high-pH soil; deer browse seedlings.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** ON, Canada (Native to extreme southern Ontario.); United States (Native across the eastern US from Maine and Michigan to Florida and Texas (more than 15 states).)
- **Recommended:** Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Atlanta, GA, United States (On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list); Boston, MA, United States (On the City of Boston Urban Forestry Division recommended public street trees list); New York, NY, United States (On the NYC Parks Street Tree Planting Approved Species List); Portland, OR, United States (Tupelo cultivars 'Afterburner', 'Firestarter', 'Red Rage', 'Sheri's Cloud' and 'Wildfire' are on Portland's list for 4.0 to 5.9 ft planting strips.); Houston, TX, United States (On the City of Houston Planning and Development Department Street Tree List); Seattle, WA, United States (Named by Seattle's Trees for Seattle tree-selection guidance as a tree for poorly drained sites that stay wet in winter.)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nyssa-sylvatica/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/tupelo/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/NYSY
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyssa_sylvatica