Leaf guide › Other hardwoods
Black gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Among the very first trees to go scarlet, often while everything around it is still green.
- 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.
Where to find it
Look for it in wet woods, around swamps, and along streams, and also on dry ridges. It usually grows scattered among other hardwoods, so a single red tree stands out.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Black gum is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Alabama: Mentone (Oct 29)
Arkansas: Mount Magazine (Oct 24), Eureka Springs (Oct 28), Buffalo National River (Oct 30), Petit Jean State Park (Nov 1), Hot Springs (Nov 3)
Maryland: Deep Creek Lake (Oct 20)
Missouri: Branson (Oct 31)
New Jersey: Cape May (Nov 6)
Virginia: Skyland (Oct 15), Blacksburg (Oct 24), Roanoke (Oct 29), Charlottesville (Oct 30)
Easy to confuse with
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. One idea is that its early red acts as a signal to migrating birds, pointing them to its dark blue fruit.
Common questions
What color does black gum turn in fall?
Black gum turns a glossy scarlet, often with purple and orange mixed in. It’s one of the most dependably brilliant reds of any eastern tree.
When does black gum change color?
Early. It’s often among the first trees to turn, sometimes showing red in early September while most of the forest is still green.
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, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, and the Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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