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
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Blackgum at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
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.
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Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p44a
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JK Marlow jkm191222_2365_n_sylvatic
Clay County AL
Cheaha State Park
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Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_812
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nysy_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_nysy_004_lvd
)
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).
)
JK Marlow jkm090321_073
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
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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).
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JK Marlow jkm0205d_05
May Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm0305a_25
May Greenville County SC
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JK Marlow jkm0405t_10
May Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
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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).
)
JK Marlow jkm130513_963
May Spartanburg County SC
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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).
)
JK Marlow jkm230505_2987
May Transylvania County NC
DuPont State Forest
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Keith Bradley kab_n_sylvatica_syl_73657
May Rutherford County NC
Chimney Rock State Park
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmnsylvatica_bjo
May
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JK Marlow jkm150621_359
June Jackson County NC
Foothills Trail
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JK Marlow jkm120703_393
July Greenville County SC
)
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).
COMPARE
leaves of Blackgum and Persimmon
)
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).
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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).
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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).
)
JK Marlow s040915_b
September Greenville County SC
Leaves pliable, typically widest near middle, the apex typically acuminate, per Weakley's Flora.
)
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).
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Will Stuart wil_8048540147_28d047dcf7
October Mecklenburg County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm0411a_03
November Greenville County SC
)
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
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
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!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p047
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p300
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p408
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p378
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p158
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p018
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p118
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p256
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p30
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p245
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p220
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