Quercus

Blackgum

Nyssa sylvatica

Native to Georgia (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

79CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including GA

Genus host records with ranges including GA · Nyssa

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta afflictaAfflicted Dagger
  • Acronicta fragilisFragile Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta ovataOvate Dagger, Epauleted Oak Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Actrix nyssaecolellaTupelo Leaffolder
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
Show all 79
  • Allotria elonymphaFalse Underwing
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Antispila nysaefoliellaTupelo Leafminer Moth
  • Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
  • Cenopis directanaChokecherry Leafroller Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Eupithecia columbiataColumbia Pug
  • Eupithecia fletcherataFletcher's Eupithecia
  • Eupithecia jejunataSwift Pug
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Glenoides texanariaTexas Gray
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hydriomena transfigurataTransfigured Hydriomena
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena bijugalisDimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Isa textulaCrowned Slug
  • Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
  • Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Lithophane unimodaDowdy Pinion
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Natada nasoniNason's Slug Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
  • Olethreutes fasciatanaBanded Olethreutes
  • Oneida lunulalisOrange-Tufted Oneida
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Papilio cresphontesEastern Giant Swallowtail
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
  • Polygrammate cadburyiCadbury's Lichen Moth, Cadbury's Mystique
  • Polygrammate hebraeicumThe Hebrew
  • Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Sereda tautanaSpeckled Sereda
  • Synanthedon rubrofasciaBlack Gun Borer
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Tortricidia testaceaEarly Button Slug
  • Chionodes pereyra
  • Ectoedemia nyssaefoliella
  • Eupithecia swettii
  • Eupsilia schweitzeri
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Nyssa

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Nyssa

  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Mareca streperaGadwall
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Nyssaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Green or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Black Gum; Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica; Sour Gum

Conservation status

Georgia rankNot available
Global rankG5
GA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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