Leaf guide › Other hardwoods
Black gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Among the very first trees to go scarlet, often while everything around it is still green.
Updated
- Fall color
- RedPurpleOrange
- Turns
- Early
- Leaves
- Alternate, crowded at twig tips
- Size
- 2–5 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Simple oval leaf, widest above the middle, with a short point.
- Smooth edges and a glossy, leathery surface.
- Leaves cluster near the ends of the twigs.
- Branches stick out nearly horizontally.
Easy to confuse with
Flowering dogwood
Leaves grow in pairs, and the veins curve along the edge toward the tip.
Sourwood
Similar early red, but its leaves are finely toothed and taste sour.
Worth knowing
Also called tupelo or black tupelo. Black gum is one of the longest-lived hardwoods in the East, with some trees more than 500 years old.
Common questions
What color does black gum turn in fall?
Black gum turns red, purple and orange in fall. Among the very first trees to go scarlet, often while everything around it is still green.
When does black gum change color?
It’s one of the earlier trees to turn, often ahead of most of its neighbors.
How can you tell black gum from flowering dogwood?
Flowering dogwood: Leaves grow in pairs, and the veins curve along the edge toward the tip. Black gum: Simple oval leaf, widest above the middle, with a short point.
Where does black gum grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest.
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