Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

Soil / Climate: Zones 3-9   Black Gum  can grow on a variety of soil types but prefers moist, well-drained, acidic deep soils and full sun.  It is often found on moist ground along rivers and streams.   From southern Maine to southern Michigan to Florida. It has a taproot, making it difficult to transplant and fire resistant.
Notes: Autumn Foliage is a very showy florescent yellow to orange to red or purple colors. Fruit ripens in September and is a favorite of birds. Tupelo wood is used  by woodcarvers, especially for carving ducks and other wildfowl. In the lumber industry  it is used for shipping containers and interior parts of furniture, and is used extensively in the veneer and  plywood. The wood can be readily pulped and is used for high-grade book and magazine papers. Growth rate is slow to medium.Wildlife: Many species of birds and wildlife eat the fruit, and bees use the nectar to make honey. Black gum heartwood often rots, creating dens for wildlife, including black bears. Whitetail deer will browse young black gum shoots.

Cold Stream Farm supplies Black Gum trees which are grown as bare root seedlings and transplants and sold both wholesale and retail with no minimum order.

Additional information on Nyssa sylvatica can be found on the link: USDA / NRCS PLANTS Database.