Nyssa sylvatica fine and abundant and lies horizontally so that the foliage arrangement is not unlike that of the beech "(Fagus)". Its often spectacular autumnal coloring, with intense reds to purples, is highly valued in landscape settings. It is the most fiery and brilliant of the 'brilliant group' that includes maple, dogwood, sassafras, and sweet gum, as well as various species of tupelo. In the UK the cultivar ‘Wisley Bonfire’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. "Nyssa sylvatica" is a major source of wild honey in many areas within its range. Hollow sections of black gum trunks were
Luzula sylvatica least greenish throughout winter. The leaves can also help to differentiate the plant from similar-looking plants in the closely related genus "Juncus", as scattered white hairs can be found along the leaf edges. Its tepals are , with flowers which grow in groups of 3 or 4. From mid-spring to summer, "L. sylvatica " produces flowers in open panicles which are very small, chestnut-brown in colour and can be found in dense and lax clusters. "L. sylvatica" is sometimes stoloniferous. "Luzula sylvatica" is both anemophilous and entomophilous, in that it can be pollinated by either wind or insect. "L. sylvatica"'s