Nyssa sylvatica-Black tupelo

Description

These trees have fascinated me for as long as I’ve known about them. Mature specimens form striking silhouettes against the sky as the branching structure is compact and angular. They do not have the arching well developed canopies that oaks and maples do. They remind me of the baobab trees in Africa; huge trunks but not much branching. Male and female trees-the females produces blue fruit high in the canopy that are coveted by birds. Typically found in wetlands, but like so many of our natives, they will grow happily in upland soils. Fall color is a spectacular red inferno. At the northern limit of its range here in southern Maine, where it is uncommon but not rare.

$40, 2 gallon pot-2ft to 2.5 ft height