Bloomipedia
Gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum)
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Gum bumelia

Sideroxylon lanuginosum

Native in the lower 48

Gum bumelia is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

15states
2of our state lists
13,538U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Sideroxylon lanuginosum is a shrub or small tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is native to the Sun Belt and Midwest of the United States as well as Northeastern Mexico. Common names include gum bully, black haw, chittamwood, chittimwood, shittamwood, false buckthorn, gum bumelia, gum elastic, gum woolybucket, woolybucket bumelia, wooly buckthorn, wooly bumelia, ironwood and coma.

  • It belongs to the Sapotaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Oklahoma. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 12,204 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #42 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 466 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #77 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist

Gum bumelia gift ideas

Handmade gum bumelia gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (201 records)
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeMay–July12,204
OklahomaNativefew records466

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IL (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Fruit is edible but should be eaten in small quantities to prevent belly aches.” NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records gum bumelia in 15 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Aransas, Bandera, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Brazos, Brewster, Brown, Burleson, Calhoun, Callahan, Chambers, Clay, Coleman, Collin, Comal, Cottle, Crockett, Dallas, Denton, Edwards, Foard, Freestone, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Grimes, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Jackson, Karnes, Kenedy, Kerr, Knox, Lee, Leon, Llano, Marion, McLennan, Motley, Newton, Nueces, Parker, Pecos, Polk, Real, Robertson, Rusk, San Augustine, San Patricio, Scurry, Shackelford, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Travis, Val Verde, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Atoka, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Garfield, Grady, Grant, Greer, Haskell, Johnston, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Le Flore, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Payne, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Washington, Washita, Woods.

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Sources