Great Design Plant: Nyssa Sylvatica (8 photos)

Distinguishing traits. Young trees have a pyramidal form with predominantly horizontal branching. They maintain a strong central leader as they age. Mature trees often take on a more rounded form but are generally upright, growing about two-thirds as wide as they are tall. Black gum grows slowly, adding 6 to 12 inches in height per year.

The dark green leaves are elliptic to obovate and 3 to 5 inches long with a waxy surface that makes them reflective, giving the foliage a lustrous appearance. Foliage forms a dense canopy.

In most cases, male and female flowers are carried on separate plants. In order to get pollination and fruiting, male and female trees need to be planted close enough, about 100 feet, so that honeybees can easily transfer pollen from one to the next.

Although you won’t see it, black gum has a very deep taproot. This helps it endure challenging growing conditions but also makes transplanting very difficult.

Shown: This branch from a female tree shows the typical leaf shape and (if you look closely) the dark blue fruit.

from Houzz http://ift.tt/1TPDsfC

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