Black Gum | matthiasbaldwinpark

Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica

A black gum tree was planted in the northeast section on November 2, 2026. The Wikipedia entry for the black gum is here. It is a mid-sized deciduous hardwood with a broad range in the United States, from the Mississippi River east to the Atlantic coast and from Maine to Florida.

There are several common names for Nyssa sylvatica, including black gum, sour gum, and tupelo. It should be contrasted in Baldwin Park with the sweetgum in the southeast section of the park.

Black gum on its planting day.

Black Gum Factoids

The genus name Nyssa is derived from the Greek nymphs the Nysiads. In Greek legends, the nymphs of mythical Mount Nysa were entrusted by Zeus with raising the infant god Dionysus.
The species epithet refers to its woodland setting, like the "sylvania" in "Pennsylvania."
The trees are straight-trunked and can attain heights of about 70 feet. The bark when young is smooth, but will become thickly furrowed when older.
They can live to be over 600 years old.
Humans appreciate the brilliant red color of the leaves in fall and the shade it provides in the summer.
Insects value the nectar which arises in the white flowers. The trees can either be dioecious (male and female flowers on separate trees like our katsuras) or polygamodioecious (mostly dioecious, but with either a few flowers of the opposite sex or a few bisexual flowers on the same plant).
Small mammals and birds appreciate the pea-sized fruit in the fall. The fruit has a stone and changes from green to black over the summer.

Botany 101 Bonus

Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica

Black gum on its planting day.

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Black Gum Factoids

The genus name Nyssa is derived from the Greek nymphs the Nysiads. In Greek legends, the nymphs of mythical Mount Nysa were entrusted by Zeus with raising the infant god Dionysus.​

The species epithet refers to its woodland setting, like the "sylvania" in "Pennsylvania."

The trees are straight-trunked and can attain heights of about 70 feet. The bark when young is smooth, but will become thickly furrowed when older.

They can live to be over 600 years old.

Humans appreciate the brilliant red color of the leaves in fall and the shade it provides in the summer.

Insects value the nectar which arises in the white flowers. The trees can either be dioecious (male and female flowers on separate trees like our katsuras) or polygamodioecious (mostly dioecious, but with either a few flowers of the opposite sex or a few bisexual flowers on the same plant).

Small mammals and birds appreciate the pea-sized fruit in the fall. The fruit has a stone and changes from green to black over the summer.

Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica

The genus name Nyssa is derived from the Greek nymphs the Nysiads. In Greek legends, the nymphs of mythical Mount Nysa were entrusted by Zeus with raising the infant god Dionysus.