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Lytle, Melody

Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. rigidum

Sideroxylon lanuginosum Michx. ssp. rigidum (A. Gray) T.D. Penn.

Gum Bully, Brazos Bumelia, Black Haw

Sapotaceae (Sapodilla Family)

Synonym(s): Bumelia lanuginosa ssp. rigida, Bumelia lanuginosa var. rigida, Bumelia lanuginosa var. texana, Bumelia monticola, Bumelia rigida, Bumelia texana

USDA Symbol: SILAR2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Shrub or small to medium sized tree at the edges of woodlands, along streams, and in fencerows and abandoned pastures. Branchlets often with a thorn at the tip. Leaves alternate or in clusters, up to 2 1/2 inches long and an inch wide, mostly smaller, tapering more gradually toward the base than toward the tip. Leaf margins smooth, rolled down, tip rounded, lower surface hairy. Flowers several on short stems from the bases of the leaf clusters, opening in June. Fruit fleshy, dark purple to black, elliptical, 3/8 inch long, with a remnant of the flower at the tip.

From the Image Gallery

27 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 45 feet tall, often much shorter.
Fruit: Blue to purplish black.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: AZ , LA , NM , OK , TX

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist

Benefit

Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0443 Collected Jul 19, 1993 in Comal County by Mary Beth White
NPSOT 0452 Collected Jun 5, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

2 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Bibliography

Bibref 354 - Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.
Bibref 297 - Trees of Central Texas (1984) Vines, Robert A.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. rigidum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. rigidum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. rigidum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-11
Research By: TWC Staff

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