Flower profile

Gum bumelia

Sideroxylon lanuginosum

Gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum) is a shrub or small tree in the Sapotaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

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 June–July.

15states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

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.
From Wikipedia's article Sideroxylon lanuginosum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 June–July. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 12,204 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #43 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 466 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #77 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (201 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	June–July	12,204
Oklahoma	Native	few records (12)	466

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.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

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.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 381 counties across 14 states; the most are in Texas (71), Missouri (66), Arkansas (59).

More Texas flowers

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–May

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Silverleaf nightshade

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SILA20.
iNaturalist, Sideroxylon lanuginosum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Sideroxylon lanuginosum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Sideroxylon lanuginosum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.