Black tupelo

Black tupelo: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Deciduous tree with a conical to oval crown and horizontal branches. Grows slowly to 10–15 m tall and about 8 m wide.

Leaves

Oval to obovate, 5–12 cm, glossy dark green; orange, red and purple in autumn.

Flowers

Small greenish flowers in May–June, in clusters on long stalks: inconspicuous, but loved by bees.

Fruit

Oval blue-black drupes of about 1 cm in autumn, mainly on female trees.

Roots

A deep taproot, which is why it transplants badly.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: March–April and October–December · Pruning: February

Why grow it?

• One of the finest trees for autumn colour: orange, scarlet and purple, often at the same time on one tree.
• It tolerates moist to wet soil, where many other ornamental trees struggle.
• The small flowers in May–June are a good nectar source for bees.
• Birds readily eat the blue-black berries in autumn.
• A calm, elegant tree with a regular crown that needs hardly any pruning.

Black tupelo: where does it grow best?

• Sun or partial shade; autumn colour is brightest in sun.
• Acid to neutral, humus-rich soil: sand, loam or peat. On chalky soil the leaves turn yellow.
• Moist to wet, even waterlogged soil. It copes less well with drought, especially when young.
• Give it a permanent spot with at least 8 m of space, because moving it later hardly ever succeeds.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand, loam or peat

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

15 m tall, 8 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -30 °C)

Goes well with

• Sweet gum: Another moisture-loving tree with great autumn colour, for a larger garden.
• Snowy mespilus: A small tree with white blossom in April and equally beautiful autumn colour.
• Rhododendron: Likes the same acid, humus-rich soil.
• Royal fern: A stately fern for the same moist, acid soil.

Black tupelo: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and October–December.

1. Plant in March–April or from October to December, when the soil is not frozen.
2. Choose a young pot-grown tree: it establishes far better than a large tree or a bare-root one.
3. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot and mix in leaf mould.
4. Set the tree at the same depth as it was in the pot. Gently tease out circling roots without damaging the taproot.
5. Drive in a short stake at an angle, firm the soil and water straight away with 20–30 litres.
6. Mulch with leaf mould or wood chips, keeping it away from the trunk.

Care

Watering

For the first three years, water generously once a week in dry spells. After that only in prolonged drought.

Feeding

Every spring a layer of leaf mould or compost around the base. Nothing more is needed.

Mulching

A mulch keeps the soil cool and moist, just as it likes.

Stake

Check the tie every spring and remove the stake after 2–3 years.

Patience

In the first few years it grows slowly, as it builds roots first. After that growth speeds up.

Tip: Buy a young pot-grown tree and plant it straight away in its permanent spot, in acid, moist soil. Because of the taproot you cannot move it later, and it establishes best when young.

Black tupelo: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February.

When: It needs hardly any pruning. Do any light formative pruning on a young tree in February, while it is dormant.

How:

• Keep one continuous leader and remove competing tops.
• Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches.
• If you want to walk under the tree, gradually remove the lowest branches over several years.
• Prune little and never hard: a tree left to grow freely develops the finest shape.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow the stones from ripe berries in autumn in a deep pot left outdoors; they germinate after a cold winter. Plant the seedlings out young, because of the taproot.

Grafting and cuttings

Cultivars such as ‘Wisley Bonfire’ are grafted or raised from cuttings in nurseries. This is difficult for amateurs; it is easier to buy a young plant.

Black tupelo: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −30 °C.

• Fully hardy, to about −30 °C: no protection is needed in Belgium.
• It comes into leaf late in spring, sometimes not until May: this is normal and not a sign of frost damage.
• Bare in winter, the horizontal branches make a calm, attractive silhouette.

Diseases and pests

• Pale or yellow leaves: A sign of chalky soil. Mulch with leaf mould; on very chalky soil choose a different tree.
• Poor establishment: A large or transplanted tree sometimes barely grows for years. Plant young, from a pot, and do not move it again.
• Drought: Leaves brown at the edges and drop early. Water young trees in dry summers and mulch the base.
• Leaf spots: Small brown or purple spots on the leaves in a wet summer. Usually harmless; clear up fallen leaves.

Through the year

• February: Light formative pruning on a young tree.
• March: Plant. Add compost around the base.
• April: Plant. Top up the mulch.
• May: Late leafing out. Flowering begins.
• June: Flowering, busy with bees. Water in dry spells.
• July: Water young trees in dry spells.
• August: Water in prolonged drought.
• September: The berries ripen. First autumn colour.
• October: Full autumn colour. Plant.
• November: Plant. Leaf fall.
• December: Plant in mild weather. Rest.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Did you know?

• The name Nyssa refers to a water nymph from Greek mythology, a nod to the wet places where the tree grows.
• Black tupelos can live a very long time: in North America there are trees several centuries old.
• In English it is also called black gum or sour gum.