Park Hill, OK-- Fire Master™ Black Gum is an easy care native shade tree introduced by Garden Debut® in late 2010 with exceptional coloration.In the wild, Black Gum (also known as Tupelo) grows across the entire eastern half of North America but at low densities of 1-3% in native forests. Black tupelo is found on a wide variety of sites from the creek bottoms of the southern coastal plains to altitudes of 910 m (3,000 ft) in North Carolina. How to Care for a Black Gum Tree. Tupelo Tree: Facts, Info on Tupelo Trees. Polygamodiœcious, yellowish green, borne on slender downy peduncles. Black gum will not tolerate alkaline soil and may suffer damage from pollution. Nyssa sylvatica grows to 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) tall, rarely to 35 metres (115 ft), with a trunk diameter of 50–100 centimetres (20–39 in), rarely up to 170 centimetres (67 in). Black Tupelo Nyssa sylvatica One of the most attractive native trees around. The variety grows best on well-drained, light-textured soils on the low ridges of second bottoms and on the high flats of silty alluvium. The spray is fine and abundant and lies horizontally so that the foliage arrangement is not unlike that of the beech (Fagus). Co-national champion trees are in Michigan (131 feet) and Connecticut (84 feet). Nyssa sylvatica 's genus name, Nyssa, refers to a Greek water nymph; the species epithet sylvatica refers to its woodland habitat.. In the uplands it grows best on the loams and clay loams of lower slopes and coves. Fruit: Fleshy drupe, one to three from each flower cluster. Learn more. As the tree matures it takes on more of an irregular habit. Used for turnery. The sour fruits are eagerly sought by many kinds of birds, including: American robin, Swainson's thrush, gray-cheeked thrush, hermit thrush, wood thrush, northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, blue jay, red-bellied woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, eastern phoebe, brown thrasher, eastern bluebird, European starling, scarlet tanager, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, and American crow,[citation needed] all primarily eastern North American birds migrating or residing year-round within the tree's range. The blackgum grows on a variety of sites with moist, rich soils near swamps in mixed, upland hardwood forests and on lower mountain slopes. [3] The bark is dark gray and flaky when young, but it becomes furrowed with age, resembling alligator hide on very old stems. Its leaflets are thinner and less glossy, "with rather long tips, the under surface persistently somewhat downy and covered with minute warty excrescences easily seen under an ordinary hand lens"[5] "Yellow Gum is not a swamp tree, like Black Gum, but an inhabitant of dry land, hills, and the coves of the southern Appalachians which it ascends to 3500 feet"[5]. [7], In the UK the cultivar 'Wisley Bonfire' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. This tree also has a combination of undesirable root characteristics: Its root system is aggressive, shallow, and rather pliant, which makes the tree very unstable. Tupelo Tree: Facts, Info on Tupelo Trees. I have one I planned on keeping small (6' tall and maybe 8' wide) next to the house. They come out of the bud conduplicate, coated beneath with rusty tomentum, when full grown are thick, dark green, very shining above, pale and often hairy beneath. It has striking, purple-red foliage and black berries with multi-season interest. Young Blackgum. In autumn they turn bright scarlet, or yellow and scarlet. Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) is divided into two commonly recognized varieties, typical black tupelo (var. Before you plant a tree, find out about the nature of its root system. Nyssa Sylvatica’s mature landscaping size can reach as large as 30-50′ high by 20-30′ wide making it a great shade tree. The foliage turns purple in autumn, eventually becoming an intense bright scarlet. Nyssa Sylvatica’s mature landscaping size can reach as large as 30-50′ high by 20-30′ wide making it a great shade tree. It also has a weak wood structure. They are often dioecious so a male and female tree in proximity is required to set seed, however, many trees are also polygamo-dioecious, which means they have both male and female flowers on the same tree. Mature growth size you plant a tree, find out about the nature of its remarkable size can. 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