Yes, I like the black gum tree very much. The leaves are oval, rather thick and shiny, and they turn a gorgeous deep red in the fall. Ever since learning that they are sometimes called pepperidge trees, Pepperidge Farm has become a bit more intriguing as a place to me and I've wondered whether there are many black gum trees there.

We only have one black gum in our grove, and it is as tall as our tallest 150-year-old white oaks, but its girth is definitely smaller. However, the woods is peppered with very small specimens of black gum.