North Carolina Native Plant Society

Blackgum, Nyssa sylvatica

Blackgum has dense foliage, brilliant red fall color, and small blue-black fruit attractive to wildlife. It's also an important bee tree for honey. It grows in many habitats, from moist woods along streams to dry uplands.

Charley Winterbauer, April 2012, Wilmington

Leaves

Blackgum leaves are easily mistaken for Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, but Blackgum leaves are usually glossy above and will sometimes have a few teeth on the margins. Blackgum twigs have terminal buds which Persimmons lack.

Twig

Branching pattern

Blackgum branches usually are short and come off the tree at right angles. Lower branches of young trees may have a distinct droop.

Emerging Plants

Tom Harville

1st Day of bloom

Tom Harville

Mature Plant

Note that blooms last only a day or two

Jean Woods

Different Petals

Tom Harville

Seed Pods Forming

Tom Harville

Double bloom

Tom Harville

Blooms

Max Patch 2001

Blooms close up

Tom Harville
May

Leaves

Martha Baskin
Nantahala, NC
Aug

Berries

Martha Baskin
Nantahala, NC
May

The name comes from the blue berries.

Close-up of flower

Note the yellow anthers of this barrier island specimen.

Bald Head Island, September 12, 2010

Plant in flower

Bald Head Island, September 12, 2010

View of the whole plant

Bald Head Island, September 12, 2010

Patch in bud

Paynter, Halyburton Park, Wilmington, April 14, 2011

In flower

Halyburton Park, Wilmington, April 2011

Close view of flowers

Note the unifoliate, grey-green leaves. This distinguishes it from all other NC lupines except L. villosus which is pinkish to lavender.

In longleaf pine habitat

Sometimes seen growing in beautiful patches on sandy roadsides

Plants

Tom Harville's Garden

The Blue Stems

Tom Harville

Blooms & Leaf

Tom Harville

With a Red-banded Hair Streak, Calycopis cecrops

Tom Harville

Blooms

Martha Baskin
Topton, NC

Plant

Martha Baskin
Topton, NC

Leaf

Martha Baskin
Topton, NC

Plant in early Spring

In early spring it resembles a weedy grass - that light flat open center. Look more closely, you can see the iris characteristics.

Black Mountain
© MB Baumeister

Blooms

The tiny blooms are hard to photograph.

Black Mountain
© MB Baumeister

Closeup of a Bloom

Black Mountain
© MB Baumeister

Seed Pod

The plants seed readily and come up everywhere, which may be nicer than some delicate creature that needs constant nurturing.

Black Mountain
© MB Baumeister

In the Garden

Used in a garden setting, it is an attractive spring border.

Black Mountain
© MB Baumeister

Plant in Bloom

Tom Harville's Garden, April 2004