Nyssa sylvatica, Black Gum Seed
Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum Seed
- Brilliant scarlet, orange and purple fall color, often all on one tree
- Glossy dark green leaves on a neat pyramidal form
- Spring flowers feed bees while blue-black fruits fuel migrating birds
- Grow seeds into a long-lived shade tree that tolerates wet soils and city streets
Key Attributes
About Nyssa sylvatica, Black Gum Seed
Scarlet, orange and purple fall color, often all on the same tree, makes this one of the finest native shade trees for autumn. Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) has glossy, dark green summer leaves and a neat, pyramidal shape that matures into a spreading crown. It tolerates wet soils and urban conditions, its spring flowers are a valuable nectar source for bees, and the small blue-black fruits feed migrating birds.
Growing details
Plant profile
Seed & variety
Before Planting
Planting
Watering
Fertilizer
Harvesting
Tips
Pests & Diseases
Leaf spots and cankers may appear but are rarely serious. Chlorosis can develop in high-pH soils.
Relatively pest-free. Occasional leaf miners or scale insects are minor.
Native States & Regions
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Native regions: Widespread Native
Its Role in the Native Ecosystem
Black Gum's small spring flowers are a rich nectar source for honey bees and native bees. Its fruits ripen in early fall and are eaten by thrushes, woodpeckers, wild turkeys and other wildlife, and older trees often form hollows used by cavity-nesting animals.
Nyssa sylvatica Black Gum Native Range Map
Native range describes natural occurrence, not the origin of this seed lot or every location where a plant can be grown.
Alaska and Hawaii are shown as insets. State-level range does not mean a plant occurs throughout every part of that state.
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