Black gum trees, also known as black tupelo trees, usually grow with a rounded crown formed by horizontal branches. But the award-winning cultivar Green Gable is different. This beautiful selection bears upright branches that create a perfectly symmetrical pyramid-shaped crown. (The shape inspired its trade name.)
Though it offers a unique silhouette, Green Gable still offers all the benefits of its species, including adaptability to wet or dry conditions and vibrant red fall foliage. Green Gable was named a Gold Medal Plant by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 2023.
Common name: Green Gable black gum, Green Gable black tupelo
Botanical name: Nyssa sylvatica ‘NSUHH’
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Flowers: Inconspicuous. Green Gable is a male selection of the black gum tree, a primarily dioecious species. (Dioecious means that individual plants bear male or female flowers. The female plants will set fruit only if a male plant is in the vicinity for pollination.) Being a male selection, Green Gable does not typically bear fruit, although black gums can occasionally bear a few "perfect" flowers (self-pollinating) that result in a sparse fruit set.
Foliage: The oval-shaped leaves are long and narrow, with a deep green color from spring through summer. In autumn they turn a brilliant red color before dropping.
Habit: This is a deciduous tree that can reach 50 feet tall. Green Gable's crown has a pyramidal shape that spreads to 25 feet at its widest point. Its architectural branches provide winter interest when the leaves fall away.
Origin: The species Nyssa sylvatica is native to roughly the eastern half of North America, where it grows naturally in low, wet woods. The selection Green Gable ('NSUHH") was discovered by Alex Neubauer of Hidden Hollow Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Tennessee.
How to grow it: In keeping with its natural habitat of low, wet woods of eastern North America, the black tupelo tree prefers moist, acidic soil. It can withstand poor drainage and wet soil. However, this tree has proven adaptable to drier conditions. It is hardy in USDA Zones 3 through 9.
Image credit: Gerd Eichmann - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
