Ovoid, two-thirds of an inch long, dark blue, acid. Valued for its vivid red & purple fall colors, it is used as an ornamental tree in parks. There are 2 other species in the genus native to South Eastern US, they are the Ogeechee Lime (Nyssa ogeche) and Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), This article … Sometimes commonly called black tupelo. Young trees tend to be somewhat pyramidal in shape and eventually may form a conical or oval-shaped crown as they mature. The limbs often deteriorate early, and the decayed holes are used by … Types of Black Gum Tree But really, what's not to love? They are a valuable energy food for birds, especially the American robin. Sweet Gum ; Tulip Tree . Grows 30'-50' high, with a 20'-30' spread. McCormack, J. When combined with the several other tupelo species, these trees have the distinction of being favorites with honey producers. Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica. Blackgum occurs from southern Maine to southeastern Wisconsin near Lake Michigan, south to central and western Florida in the east, and to eastern Texas in the west. The fruit and leaves of sweetgum look nothing like these true gums. The sour fruits are eagerly sought by many kinds of birds, including: American robin, Swainson's thrush, gray-cheeked thrush, hermit thrush, wood thrush, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, blue jay, red-bellied woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, eastern phoebe, brown thrasher, eastern bluebird, European starling, scarlet tanager, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, and American crow,[citation needed] all primarily eastern North American birds migrating or residing year-round within the tree's range. Often crowded toward the tips of branches. Reviving a very old thread as this addresses the same fungus I've found on my Black Tupelo. Black Tupelo is a native tree found throughout Virginia. The tree is best when grown in sheltered but not crowded positions, developing a pyramidal shape in youth, and spreading with age. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. Provides stunning fall color, bringing many shades of yellow, orange, bright red, purple and scarlet. The leaves are ovoid and the flowers are white. Polygamodiœcious, yellowish green, borne on slender downy peduncles. Summer leaves are a dark green with a high-gloss appearance, but the most spectacular part of this tree is the fall foliage with many shades of yellow, orange, bright red, purple or scarlet that may appear on the same branch. Black Gum Tree Leaf Identification The following are some black gum or sour gum tree facts. Ovules, one in each cell. The most common and familiar tupelo trees are the black gum tupelo trees (Nyssa sylvatica).These trees stand up to 80 feet (24 m.) tall at maturity. [9], Nyssa sylvatica is found in a variety of upland and wetland habitats in its extensive range. Nyssa sylvatica is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, where it is often used as a specimen or shade tree. These nativars are hardy, easy to care for, maintain a consistent shape and provide stunning multi … Makes a strong specimen tree. Tupelo wood is highly cross-grained, making it difficult to work. A tree of many monikers, the black tupelo is also known in various areas as a gum tree, sour gum, bowl gum, yellow gum or tupelo gum. Prefers well-drained, acid soils, and full sun to partial shade. It has unique, thick bark that is arranged in six-sided plates. The blackgum grows on a variety of sites with moist, rich soils near swamps in mixed, upland hardwood forests and on lower mountain slopes. This give the tupelo gum tree a wider base which give … The dark green glossy summer foliage takes center stage in fall when the leaves turn bright scarlet. In the uplands it grows best on the loams and clay loams of lower slopes and coves. Tupelo / ˈ t uː p ɪ l oʊ /, genus Nyssa / ˈ n ɪ s ə /, is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. They usually have a 1.5-foot to 3-foot (45 cm. Blackgum or tupelo trees (missing the “swamp” in front of their common name—aka Nyssa sylvatica) are actually excellent landscape trees that can thrive in home landscapes. [9] When found on drier upper slopes and ridges, it is seldom of log size or quality.[9]. Its leaflets are thinner and less glossy, "with rather long tips, the under surface persistently somewhat downy and covered with minute warty excrescences easily seen under an ordinary hand lens"[5] "Yellow Gum is not a swamp tree, like Black Gum, but an inhabitant of dry land, hills, and the coves of the southern Appalachians which it ascends to 3500 feet"[5]. It comes from the Creek words ito ‘tree’ and opilwa ‘swamp’. The species occurs 35 different forest cover types. A million members, donors, and partners support our programs to make our world greener and healthier. Because of this, it is fairly uncommon in cultivation and the nursery trade. They come out of the bud conduplicate, coated beneath with rusty tomentum, when full grown are thick, dark green, very shining above, pale and often hairy beneath. It grows in woods and moist areas from Maine southward to the Gulf Coast and westward to Oklahoma. Black Tupelo or Nyssa sylvatica is the most common true gum in North America and grows from Canada to Texas. Bark matures to medium gray and resembles alligator hide. The flowers are very small, in greenish-white in clusters at the top of a long stalk and a rich source or nectar for bees. Since the wood is very tough, resistant to wear, it has been used for shuttles in weaving. Still others call it beetlebung, stinkwood, wild peartree or pepperidge. Develops bark that furrows with age, resembling alligator hide on old trunks. Bark rough, dark grey, broken into many-sided plates; on younger trees, pale brown or grey; branches brown; twigs green to orange, often downy. Inner scales enlarge with the growing shoot, becoming red before they fall. This page was last edited on 25 October 2020, at 04:56. botany plants antique engraving illustration: black gum tree - tupelo tree stock illustrations wood vetch, vicia sylvatica, victorian botanical illustration, 1863 - tupelo tree stock illustrations reflections, sheffield park garden, east sussex - tupelo tree stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Because it is resistant to wear and very readily accepts creosote-based preservatives it is considered to be a premier wood for making railroad ties. It also provides nutrition for bees in early to late spring. In the APG IV system, it is placed in Nyssaceae.. 1. The common name of this wetland tree, tupelo, comes from the Creek Indian word for swamp. The word “ Nyssa ” refers to a water nymph in Greek, whereas “tupelo” is of an American origin. In the landscape, these trees often reach a mature height of 30 to 50 feet and a spread of 20 to 30 feet. The black tupelo grows well in in acidic, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam and well-drained soils. Pages 12 & 26 "The Tie Guide 2nd edition (2016)" Prepared for the Railway Tie Association (RTA) by David A. Webb and Geoffrey V. Webb, Learn how and when to remove this template message, 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T61990588A61990590.en, "Tupelo, Black gum, sour gum - Nyssa sylvatica", http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/#spp, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Source, Interactive Distribution Map for Nyssa sylvatica, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nyssa_sylvatica&oldid=985301263, Trees of the Great Lakes region (North America), Articles needing additional references from June 2010, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The leaves of the black gum tree are an elongated oval shape that offer a brilliant fall show. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. The shrub layer is dominated by scrub oaks (Quercus ilicifolia, Q. prinoides), and heath species such as lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium, V. pallidum), and black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata). The fruit of the black tupelo attracts many birds and wildlife. Hollow sections of black gum trunks were formerly used as bee gums by beekeepers.[14]. The spray is fine and abundant and lies horizontally so that the foliage arrangement is not unlike that of the beech (Fagus). black tupelo, sourgum, sour gum Leaf Type: Deciduous Texas Native: Firewise: Tree Description: A large forest tree reaching a height of over 100 feet and a trunk that exceeds 3 feet in diameter, with a straight trunk and many horizontal branches of a similar size that form a narrow, oval crown. Summer leaves are a dark green with a high-gloss appearance, but the most spectacular part of this tree is the fall foliage with many shades of yellow, orange, bright red, purple or scarlet that may appear on the same branch. Used for turnery. The largest recorded black tupelo tree is 144 feet tall and has a crown spread of 95 feet.. The most widely distributed member in North America is the black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), also known as black gum, sour gum, or pepperidge tree. The bases of Tupelo Gum trees are swollen or flared outward but with out flutes like a cypress tree. Other Common Names/Trade Names: Black gum Scientific Name: Nyssa sylvatica Best Characteristics for Identification: General lack of distinguishing characteristics . This tree typically grows to a height of 60 feet (18 metres) and occasionally attains a height of 100 feet (30 metres). Dormant Identification of Black Cherry . In staminate flowers exserted, in pistillate short, often wanting. Bark: Light reddish brown, deeply furrowed and scaly. The tupelo, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa, is a small genus of about 9 to … The twigs of this tree are reddish-brown, usually hidden by a greyish skin. The fruit is quite marked, dark blue, in clusters of two or three. A tree of many monikers, the black tupelo is also known in various areas as a gum tree, sour gum, bowl gum, yellow gum or tupelo gum. Brown. Black Tupelo This tree can live over 650 yrs. Identification of black tupelo is rather difficult except for one characteristic, which is most obvious in the winter. The black tupelo grows to a height of 30–50' and a spread of 20–30' at maturity. Habitat & Range. wide, straight trunk, although you may occasionally see a split trunk. Tupelo Tree: Facts, Info on Tupelo Trees. Deer are extremely fond of the leaves on seedlings and saplings, to the point where large populations of them can make establishment of the tree almost impossible. 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