FNPS Plant Database

Nyssa sylvatica

black gum, tupelo

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

black gum, tupelo

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Nyssa sylvatica

Family:

Nyssaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

30-50 ft tall by 30-50 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in fall.

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen tree where its sweeping branches and scarlet fall color can be appreciated. Shade tree.

Considerations:

Low branches are set at 90 degrees to the trunk and spread widely, so does not make a good street or lawn tree.

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Bee pollinated.

Seeds are eaten by birds and small-to-medium-sized mammals.

Native Habitats:

Wooded areas, usually sandy, moist to dry.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Tupelo honey is well-known for its unusual sweet taste. In the north, it's also know as the beetlebung tree, because its wood was used for barrel bungs (like corks to keep in the liquid, usually whale oil).

General Comments:

Citations:

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=nysy



https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-031/430-031_pdf.pdf (salt spray tolerance)



Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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