Tupelo (Black or Sour Gum, or Pepperidge)
Nyssa sylvatica (NYSSACEAE)
Planting and Growing Tupelo
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow tupelo, black or sour gum, or pepperidge in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and fruit of tupelo
- Growing conditions for tupelo
- When to plant tupelo
- How to plant tupelo
- How to prune tupelo
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of tupelo
- Landscape uses of tupelo
- Pest and disease control for tupelo
Growing Tupelo
Medium- to slow-growing, upright, pyramid-shaped then irregular, open, deciduous tree, to 100 ft. (30 m) tall, with shiny, deep green, oval leaves, to 5 in. (13 cm) long, turning purple, red in autumn, and with contorted branches and reddish bark.
Tupelo is related to cotton gum, Nyssa aquatica, a wetland species.
Tupelo Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Inconspicuous male and female flowers in spring form many deep blue, round, blueberry-like fruit, to 1/2 in. (12 mm) wide, in summer.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 4–9.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich. 5.5–6.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun. Space 20–25 ft. (6–7.5 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize annually in spring until established. Prune to direct growth in autumn. Protect from wind. Avoid transplanting. Propagate by layering, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, backgrounds, paths in natural, woodland gardens. Good for seasonal color, shade. Fruit attracts birds. Drops staining fruit, requiring maintenance. Smog susceptible.