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Gum Bumelia

Sideroxylon lanuginosum

Other common name(s):

Gum Bully, Woollybucket Bumelia, Woolly Bumelia, Gum Woollybucket, Woolly Buckthorn, Chittamwood, Shittamwood, Gum Elastic, Coma, Black Haw

Family:

Sapotaceae (Sapodilla Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Tree

Height

35
to
45
ft.

Spread

10
to
30
ft.

Leaf Retention

Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Forage, Nectar

Wildlife Benefit

Birds, Small Mammals, Deer, Bees

Maintenance

Little maintenance required. Drought and cold tolerant.. Slow to moderate growth. Grows in bright shade to full sun. Prune to raise canopy over walkways if needed. Leaf litter can be left in beds as mulch. Place out of high traffic areas due to spiny branches.

Comments

Gum Bumelia is a multi-trunked tall shrub or medium-sized tree to 48 feet tall or more. The flowers are small, fragrant, and bloom in clusters. Leaves dark green, leathery and with fine hairs underneath. Branches spiny. This is a valuable wildlife resource. Flowers attract pollinators. Blue to purplish berries ripen in the fall and are eaten by birds and small mammals.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SILA20. 3) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Sideroxylon+lanuginosum&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=22837&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=505219#null, 6) https://www.wilcoxnursery.com/store/Gum-Bumelia-p272799002, 7) chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://txmn.org/centraltexas/files/2020/06/Gum-Bumelia.pdf

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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