Gum Bumelia

Gum Bumelia, Chittumwood

Bumelia lanuginosa

Sapotaceae (The Sapodilla Family)

No photos available at this time.

Location on or near Missouri State University campus: unknown

Bumelia lanuginosa (also Sideroxylon lanuginosum): Chittamwood, Gum Bumellia, Woolly Buckthorn

• leaves alternate, deciduous, simple, lanceolate with rounded tips and smooth margins; medium green above and lighter green to whitish and pubescent underneath
• stems thin, gray brown, tending to droop as they grow outward; may have short spines on twigs; cut twigs produce a milky sap
• bark is dark gray to brownish, with shallow furrows and flat ridges
• grows 20-40' tall in round to flat-topped canopy
• has small, white, inconspicuous, but pleasantly fragrant flowers in early summer
• produces 1/2" diameter or smaller blue-black berries that are attractive to wildlife
• prefers full sun and moist, fertile soils, but will grow about anywhere; slow to medium growth rate
• native to Missouri