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Fall Color – Nyssa Sylvatica

Anthony Aiello
The Gayle E. Maloney Director of Horticulture and Curator

Each fall, as the various players arrive on the autumn color stage, one of the most flamboyant is our native black gum, Nyssa sylvatica. Nyssa goes by a variety of names, including black gum, black tupelo, sour gum, or pepperidge, but regardless of what you call this tree, it is one of the most outstanding native trees for reliably excellent fall color. One of my favorite sights when hiking in the fall is the brilliant scarlet-red foliage of black gums. In our area, black gum is consistently ablaze with color during the last third of October, and arguably the most spectacular display at the Arboretum is the nyssa slope above the Rose Garden. Several of these old black gums date to the Morrises’ time and appear on the 1909 Atlas of Compton. It is thought that the black gums on these slopes were planted here even before John and Lydia moved to Chestnut Hill.

Black gum is native throughout the eastern and southeastern United States and grows in a range of conditions from wet areas to dry uplands as well. Its extensive native range, along with its suitability for a variety of growing conditions, make black gum one of our most useful and adaptable native trees. Nyssa performs best in moist, well-drained acidic soil -- without acidity the foliage becomes chlorotic. Black gum is hardy from zones 5 through 9, making it completely suitable for our area.

Nyssa is particular about how and when it is transplanted. Its taproot necessitates that it be moved balled-and-burlapped only in early spring, but for most homeowners container-grown plants are probably the best route to take (only if plants are not root-bound in their pot). Young black gums have a very distinctive horizontal branching habit and develop rounded tops as they mature. They are slow growing but long-lived, reaching 30 feet in about 25 years and growing to over 80 feet with time. Until recently, the majority of cultivated varieties have been of European origin, but last year we added Red Rage™ and ‘Wildfire’ to our collection. It will be interesting to see if these varieties become commercially available and if their displays are superior to plants that are more readily available at nurseries.

The black gum display at the Arboretum is one of our perennial highlights. Come and visit and enjoy these autumnal fireworks!