Botany Quiz: Which of these is characteristic of Black Gum/Nyssa sylvatica tree?

I'm first! I havn't got a clue either but hey i'm first

Well, I suppose that I'm second & I didn't have a clue Either! :D
Joey

Well I got that one right.I can tell you gum trees are very hardwood.I hope I never have to split gum again.Burns good,but you really get a work out splitting it.
HD

so what else is new, had absolutely no clue, either!LOL

So why do "they" call it black Gum if it is just hard? Why don't "they" call it Hard Gum tree? Anyone want to join me in lobbying for a name change?

My Nyassa, Black Gum tree is 10 years old this year. And as far as I see none of the characteristics suggested fit, so I vote for produces a beneficial black gum. Mine has been very slow growing, it is just now about five feet tall and maybe wider. This year is growing faster than before. Does it take 10 years to acclimate???????????

Donna

Ok, looked at the question - where does it grow? (never heard of it) is it a "useful plant" (can you use it for anything)? ie. food, building lumber etc.? is it invasive?

We have a few black gums here on our land in South Boston, VA but mostly Sweetgums which also have very hard wood...

Okay, I had absolutely no clue. Thanks for the education!

very hard wood.. is a good thing!

I have a stand of them that we planted in 1982 and though I didn't have a clue except that the first three didn't seem to be anything that pertained to them. That left the last two. I thought about it and then I remember never seeing any small branch debris under them even after big storms, so I guessed right. Now I am going to go out and see if I can break off a twig. Patti

Wow, I actually got this one right!

guessed....wrong again.

No clue here, either, but I somehow managed to get it right.

I cheated--I looked it up. Hey, it's a great way to make us learn new things! I found out it's also called "Black Tupelo". My grandparents used to live on Tupelo Street in New Orleans; now I know what a Tupelo is! Eeeew, would never wanna chew black gum....LOL

I cheated too...I looked it up.... see these questions make ya think!
Rj

It live up to 450 yrs!

The fruit is ovoid & looks a little like a blue berry in color - the thin layer of pulp surrounds a pit that looks similar to a castor bean and has a kernel within that squirrels like to eat when the weather has been dry
and food is scarce otherwise,...

I suppose the fact that I read the thread before selecting is REALLY cheating, huh?

I still think the nutritious gum answer sounds good. Are we sure that it DOESN'T have medicinal properties? Hmmm? :-)

One thing I can say is that we don't have enough of these beautiful trees in our area compared to the "deadgum" sweetgum!!!
Tupelo leaves turn a brilliant scarlet red in the Fall. A beautiful tree. One in a thousand of those Junk trees sweetgum!!! And if I don't pull their seedlings (sweetgum) up there will be a ratio of 1:gazillion tomorrow morning when I wake up. lol

What do earthworms smell like?

thanks to the "work sttaff " on this site you'd offering good Knoldge .

I had no clue either so I'm one of the two who voted for earthworm fragrance.

I had no clue but guessed right because I figured if it's got the word Gum in it, it will give rather than break.

I went out and checked the twig breaking point on our Nyssa sylvatica. A Green twig is impossible to break with fingers, a dead one snaps off easily. I took some pictures of our stand. They have good fall color and I love the swooping branching that develops with age, but they have been very slow growing (OK for us) and are late to leaf out. They have a nice shape and a shinny leaf, but with the lower arching branches, are not so easy to mow under. But that is the one thing I pay someone to do at our house. We planted them to mirror a large stand that have always grown in a place between us and the harbor. I remember seeing this stand first from the water years ago when I was out fishing in the fall. It was one of the few places on the Island that I saw trees growing with fall color in an undeveloped place. I found out what they were and had these planted in 1983 when we built the house and I realised that I would see the top of the original stand from our house. So now we have these in our yard. They have not yet developed the deep color of the ones closer to the harbor, but still nice. Patti

Hey!!! Sweetgum trees are the only trees Luna Moth Caterpillars feed off of...Lay off of the badmouthing...Just because you can't stand them doesn't mean that there's not a purpose for them...there's probably less of one for people who don't understand the complex relationship between flora and fauna...

Oh now, if it had been called a Black Tupelo in the question, I probably could have answered it! :-P

I have a few of these in my yard...you don't break anything off, and you don't cut it down easily. The stumps of young trees will sucker endlessly if you don't kill it. They were meant to be real survivors!

Patti, congrats on success with your Tupelos, great investment. Does sweetgum grow up in NY, or some NY'er just doesn't grow up after all. lol

Earthworms taste like Chicken! Not sure what they smell like though..

I'm gonna smell one next time I run across one, and I'll let ya know. LOL

If you're by a rose bush they smell like roses. If you're near the mint patch they smell like mint. Absolutely amazing.

Ah, I had no idea. I guess the gum thing, but I was wrong. Ya
learn something new every day!

LOL, pirl!

I had two sweet gums in a previous yard. Yes the fruit makes it a horrible choice for a yard !!!!! But each leaf could have all different fall colors. Very pretty . And Tupelo red is very pretty too.
A neighobr has two nursery sweetgums planted, I'm guessing there may be sterile ones now.

never heard of it either,love to learn things new every day!but i do agree that hard wood is goooood!

I wonder how many people are thinking about Sweetgum instead of the tree in question, which is a Sour Gum or Blackgum / Tupelo:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1476/index.html


http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1033/index.html

many

Like me and probably the other three who are the earthworm voters.

I've only smelled dead earthworms after my dog has rolled in them. PeeeeUuuu!