Black Gum

Black Gum     (Black Tupelo, Sour Gum, Pepperidge)

Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.

Mature Size: Commonly 40 to 60 feet in height but can reach 100 feet in height, 1 to 2 feet in diameter but can reach 4 feet in diameter.

Form: Medium tree with slender limbs often growing at right angles to the trunk.

Where to Find Them: Variety of sites, from creek bottoms to upland slopes.

Leaves: Alternate, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, oval with a pointed tip, smooth-edged, occasionally with several coarse teeth near tip; turning scarlet in fall.

Fruit: Round, 1⁄2 inch across, dark blue, berry-like, thin-fleshed, clustered on stalks up to 11⁄2 inches long, each containing a single-ridged seed.

Wildlife Uses: The fleshy fruits are favorites of the wood duck, wild turkey, pileated woodpecker, robin, among other bird species. Black Bear relish the fruits too. Bees use the nectar for making honey (Tupelo honey! ) 

Bark:  Grayish-brown, roughened by corky scales, later becoming deeply furrowed.