Black Gum (Tupelo)
Nyssa sylvatica
Family Nyssaceae
Ask arborists to name an underplanted tree and black gum keeps coming up — the earliest, most reliable scarlet of any fall canopy, glossy leaves igniting while neighbors are still green. This is also the tupelo of tupelo honey, its spring bloom a famous feast for bees.
A native of forty to sixty feet, it handles wet ground and dry, stays essentially pest-free, and loads birds with small blue-black fruit each fall. Long-lived and handsome in every season, it asks for one thing only: someone with the sense to plant it. Be that person.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Moderate water
Slow-Moderate growth
Native to North America
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing black gum (tupelo)? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries black gum (tupelo) — Nyssa sylvatica, print Nº 56, “Black Gum (Tupelo).”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what black gum (tupelo) actually needs.
Hardy inZones 4-9Black Gum (Tupelo) · Common problems
Common black gum (tupelo) problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none — remarkably pest-free
Diseases
2 problems on file
- Almost none
- Botryosphaeria Canker
Black Gum (Tupelo) · Growing & propagation
Growing black gum (tupelo)
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Water
- Moderate
Tolerates wet AND dry once established
Soil- Deep, moist, acid
Adaptable · pH 5.5 - 6.5
Fertilizer- None
Pruning- Winter (rarely needed)
Train a leader young; otherwise it's low-maintenance and naturally pyramidal.
Spacing- 30 ft
How to plant & propagate black gum (tupelo)
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Black Gum (Tupelo) · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Black Gum (Tupelo) · Yearly calendar
The black gum (tupelo) year, month by month
Jan
PruneDecember to February
BloomPruneBloomMarch to May
PruneDecember to February
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Black Gum (Tupelo) · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Nyssa sylvatica
Black Gum (Tupelo) in the garden system
- Canopy layer tree
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees, Birds
- Moisture
- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
- Origin
- Native to North America
What black gum (tupelo) is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
Use- Best fall red
- Use
- Tupelo honey
- Use
- Wildlife
- Use
- Wet or dry
Harvesting & storing black gum (tupelo)
Small blue-black fruits feed birds and wildlife (too sour for people).
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Black Gum (Tupelo) · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a black gum (tupelo) variety
'Wildfire' (red new growth); 'Afterburner'; 'Green Gable' — mostly for reliable fall color
Sources & plant identity
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Black Gum (Tupelo)
Nyssa sylvatica
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Nyssa sylvatica
- Plant family
- Nyssaceae
- Growth habit
- Tree · Perennial
- Origin
- Native to North America
- USDA plant symbol
- NYSY
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Black Gum (Tupelo) questions, answered straight.
Is black gum (tupelo) safe for kids and pets?
Black Gum (Tupelo) is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest black gum (tupelo)?
Small blue-black fruits feed birds and wildlife (too sour for people).
How do you propagate black gum (tupelo)?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where black gum (tupelo) sits in the library.
Maple
Oak
Tulip Poplar
Bald Cypress