This feature will appear in the blog throughout the year. Many plants have fallen out of favor over the years, but for the sake of biodiversity and landscape interest they deserve to be resurrected. Today’s featured plant is:
Nyssa sylvatica, commonly called black gum
This is a slow-growing deciduous tree. It is primarily a lowland tree found in low, wet woods and bottomlands and pond peripheries. Black gum is a stately tree with a straight trunk and rounded crown, more pyramidal when young, that typically grows 30 to 50 feet tall.
Primarily dioecious (having separate male and female trees), the flowers are an excellent nectar source for bees. The leaves are slightly toothed, oval (obovate to elliptic), up to 5 inches long, dark green during the growing season. This tree has spectacular scarlet fall color.
Black Gum, also known as Tupelo, is easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade, preferring moist, acidic soils. Black gum tolerates poorly drained soils and can grow in standing water. On the other end of the spectrum, it tolerates some drought and adapts to some dryish soils. Its long tap root precludes moving established trees, though it transplants well if container grown. This tree makes an excellent ornamental shade tree or street tree, magnificent when planted along boulevards or inter-planted with Norway or sugar maples. It grows well in moist woodland gardens, areas subject to periodic flooding, and boggy areas. The black gum is a tree worthy of serious consideration, especially by those with larger yards.