Black Gum/Black Tupelo (Eucalyptus Ovata)

Also known as sour-gum, Pepperidge, and tupelo gum, the black gum tree is a medium-sized plant that grows about 40-70 feet tall. It’s primarily used for pulp now, but back in the day, its wood was utilized in making kitchen utensils. Black gum’s bark is grayish and turns strong and heavy once matured. It runs continuously up into the crown and becomes heavily wrinkled with age, forming a rugged appearance that looks like alligator hide.

Black gum trees are found throughout the Cotton State, but on the whole, they are native to Northern American, commonly seen in Texas and Florida. They have pretty ordinary-looking thick dark green, ovate leaves with a pointy apex. The leaves are also slightly dentate-meaning they have tooth-like edges- but in the case of black gum, the serrated points are not always vividly noticeable.