Nyssa sylvatica - Black Tupelo, Black Gum or Sour Gum (Nyssaceae) ------Nyssa sylvatica is a shade tree with shining dark some trees have either staminate and perfect flowers green summer foliage, excellent autumn color, [limited-fruiting trees] or pistillate and perfect abundant fruits (on appropriate flowering forms) that flowers [heavy fruiting trees]) attract wildlife, and a picturesque growth habit with -whatever the floral state of the tree, the flowers are blocky ornamental bark at maturity. Black Tupelo is small, greenish-white, and ornamentally insignficant, a native shade tree that is underutilized in landscapes, appearing in May with the foliage and is primarily known for its spectacular autumn Fruits colors. -bluish-black small oblong fruits, maturing in Sept. and Oct., often profusely borne when present, and FEATURES readily eaten by birds and squirrels Form -the abscised fleshy fruits (or directly correlated bird -large shade tree droppings under the trees) can be a liability -maturing at 40' tall x 30' wide Twigs under urban conditions, but -reddish brown young twigs become a smooth light double that in the wild gray by the second season -upright pyramidal growth habit -branches become densely twiggy with age and have in youth, becoming upright oval, numerous spur shoots upright horizontal, or spreading Trunk with age (often quite unpre- -brown to dark gray, with prominent ridges broken dictable in the growth habit of an into rectangular blocks by horizontal fissures, individual tree) somewhat ornamental and eventually becoming platy -slow growth rate under urban conditions, but with age medium growth rate in native sites Culture USAGE -full sun to partial sun (partial shade tolerant in Function youth) -specimen, focal -performs best in evenly moist, deep, acidic soils, but point, or shade tree is somewhat adaptable to either wet or dry soils Texture though it cannot be considered urban tolerant -medium-fine -propagated primarily by seeds, but stem cuttings texture in foliage from male trees are sometimes grafted onto seedling and when bare understock -average to thick -Tupelo Family, with occasional leaf spot being the density in foliage most common cosmetic disease; in general, no and when bare disease or pest problems of significance Assets -moderately available in B&B or container form -consistently -alkaline pH soils should be avoided, as they cause spectacular autumn color slow growth, foliage chlorosis, and eventual decline -fruits attract wildlife (for those trees that have fruits) or demise of the tree -wet site or dry site tolerant -the deep taproot system makes B&B transplanting -blocky ornamental mature bark somewhat risky except on very young trees, and -some trees have picturesque horizontal branching therefore container-grown saplings are becoming and a flat-topped crown with age more popular Liabilities Foliage -fruit litter and associated bird droppings (for those -alternate, obovate to elliptic, and lustrous dark green trees that have fruits) in summer -slow growth rate in most urban situations -excellent autumn color, a mixture of scarlet, purple, -irregular growth habit for some individual trees orange, yellow, and green hues of shining foliage on Habitat the tree in autumn, slowly abscising -Zones 3 to 9 -Native to the Eastern U.S. SELECTIONS Alternates -shade trees for excellent autumn color (Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Quercus coccinea, etc.) -trees with abundant fruits that attract wildlife (Amelanchier, Carya, Crataegus, Fagus, Malus, Morus, Quercus, etc.) -trees with a flat-topped growth habit at maturity (Crataegus crusgalli, Gleditsia triacanthos [native thorny form], etc.) Cultivars – Variants – Related species -the straight species is usually the only available choice, although selections should be made for forms Flowers that are alkaline soil tolerant, single color autumn -polygamo-dioecious (most trees have either color, or male (fruitless) grafted forms staminate flowers [male, non-fruiting trees] or pistillate flowers [female, heavy fruiting trees], but