Blackgum

Nyssa sylvatica

Found in dry or moist upland forests, less commonly in bottomlands, pine savannas, or upland depressions, where occasionally inundated briefly. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 40–70 feet
Spread: 20 feet 8 inches–35.5 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 28 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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Nyssa sylvatica — foliage photograph — Berean Hunter · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: April to June
Fruiting season: August to October

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Recorded in 22 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 103 animals.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica discolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Sora
Porzana carolina
Birds. 1 shared habitat

Widespread birds also seen here (49)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

72CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
Allotria elonymphaFalse Underwing

Show all 72

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
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
Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
Eupithecia columbiataColumbia 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
Packardia geminataJeweled Tail Slug Moth
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
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
Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Tortricidia testaceaEarly Button Slug
Chionodes pereyra
Eupithecia swettii

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

9BirdsRecorded eating Nyssa in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Wild TurkeySeeds. 7 diet records
European Starling3 diet records
American RobinFruit. 2 diet records
Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
Gadwall1 diet record
Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Ruffed GrouseFruit. 1 diet record
VeeryFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions

Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

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

Birds that eat Nyssa 9

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Seeds. 7 diet records
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
3 diet records
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Fruit. 2 diet records
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Fruit. 1 diet record
Gadwall
Anas strepera
1 diet record
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Fruit. 1 diet record
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record

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: August
Fruit ends: October

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “40–70 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “20 feet 8 inches–35.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Black Gum; Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica; Sour Gum

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Blackgum

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Birds that eat Nyssa 9

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Nyssa