OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Cornales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa sylvatica   FAMILY Nyssaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa sylvatica   FAMILY Cornaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America

Nyssa sylvatica

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-001a:

Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica   FAMILY Nyssaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Nyssa sylvatica

 

COMMON NAME:
Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux    dcp34_p44a

        

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm191222_2365_n_sylvatic

    Clay County    AL

Cheaha State Park

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_812

        

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_nysy_001_lvd

        

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide    pnd_nysy_004_lvd

        

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm230228_1347

February    Pickens County    SC

Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve

Twigs brown; buds imbricate-scaled; terminal bud with 3 or 4 visible scales, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm090321_073

March    Greenville County    SC

Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmnsylvatica_home1

April    Anderson County    SC

Staminate flowers borne in clusters at the ends of stalks, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm0205d_05

May    Greenville County    SC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm0305a_25

May    Greenville County    SC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm0405t_10

May    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm060521_152

May    Macon County    NC

Highlands Biological Station

Bark is typically made up of blocky ridges, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm130513_963

May    Spartanburg County    SC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm220503_7444

May    Greenville County    SC

Bald Rock Heritage Preserve

Branches slender, almost horizontal, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm230505_2987

May    Transylvania County    NC

DuPont State Forest

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Keith Bradley    kab_n_sylvatica_syl_73657

May    Rutherford County    NC

Chimney Rock State Park

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmnsylvatica_bjo

May        

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm150621_359

June    Jackson County    NC

Foothills Trail

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm120703_393

July    Greenville County    SC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm130726_468

July    Greenville County    SC

Leaves vary in texture, size and shape, sometimes w one or more large teeth, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Blackgum and Persimmon

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm0409e_24

September    Greenville County    SC

Leaves turn a brilliant orange-red in fall (often a few coloring prematurely in Jul or Aug), per Weakley's Flora (2022).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Ron Lance    rwl_nyssasylvatica2

September    Oconee County    SC

Fruit a blue-black drupe borne singly or in pairs on a long stalk, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    s040915_a

September    Greenville County    SC

Its bright red leaves are among the most brilliant in the fall forest, per Fall Color & Woodland Harvests (Bell & Lindsey, 1990).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    s040915_b

September    Greenville County    SC

Leaves pliable, typically widest near middle, the apex typically acuminate, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm231013_6041

October    Spartanburg County    SC

Unusually slender, relatively short, often twisted branches growing at 90° angles to the trunk, per Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007).

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Will Stuart    wil_8048540147_28d047dcf7

October    Mecklenburg County    NC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

JK Marlow    jkm0411a_03

November    Greenville County    SC

image of Nyssa sylvatica, Blackgum, Black Tupelo, Sour Gum

Ron Lance    rwl_nyssa_sylvatica

November    Jackson County    NC

Big Ridge Preserve

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Nyssa sylvatica   FAMILY Nyssaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Nyssa sylvatica   FAMILY Cornaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Nyssa sylvatica

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 141-01-001a:
Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica   FAMILY Nyssaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nyssa sylvatica

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

977

Tree
Perennial
Dioecious or polygamo-dioecious

Habitat: Dry or mesic upland forests, less commonly in bottomlands, pine savannas, or upland depressions, where occasionally inundated briefly, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
5 sepals
5-10 petals or petals absent
Mostly unisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Blue
Drupe

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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