Black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) is native to the entire Eastern United States and is found in all of Ohio except for the driest counties in the northwestern part of the state. Also having the common names of black gum, sour gum, and Pepperidge, this tree is known for its glossy dark green summer foliage and outstanding autumn foliage colors. In youth, the tree is often pyramidal, but this is not always the case. At maturity, the growth habit is upright oval and can be massive under the right conditions. Fruits are greedily eaten by wildlife in late summer and early autumn, about the time that the leaves are beginning to color and slowly abscise. Black tupelo is variable in its mature height when found in the open, but may reach a height of 60 feet by a width of 25 feet; some specimens are notably shorter and broader, with an irregularly shaped canopy, while others top out at 80 feet or more in height. Black tupelo is a member of the tupelo family, with other members of the genus Nyssa as its close relatives, and the dogwoods as distant relatives. Black tupelo strongly prefers moist, well-drained, rich, deep, acidic soils, but adapts surprisingly well to dry, average, alkaline soils, but with reduced growth vigor and lighter-colored or chlorotic leaves. It is found in zones 4 to 9, and grows best in full sun or partial sun, but adapts well to partial shade, especially in youth. Black tupelo has several minor diseases and pests, the most notable of which is black leaf spot. Stunting of growth and chlorosis of foliage will occur if this species is planted in high pH (alkaline) soils, while this species will thrive with a medium growth rate when sited in acidic, moist, well-drained soils. Black tupelo has alternate, elliptical to slightly obovate leaves that put on a good display in summer with their dark green, high-gloss appearance (soils of alkaline pH, however, will make them light green to chlorotic, and less glossy). But, the show gets even better in autumn when the leaves change to many shades of yellow, orange, bright red, scarlet, and purple, often on the same branch. Alternatively, some trees simply transition from green to crimson. On many trees, especially during dry summers, premature coloration and leaf drop begins in mid- to late summer. Black tupelo has female and male flowers on separate trees, but with each of these trees having the possibility of a few perfect flowers interspersed as well (making it a polygamo-dioecious species). Thus, some trees may have many fruits, while others may only rarely have a few fruits. Black tupelo has short twigs running off from its main branchlets; they are too long to call spur shoots, yet they rarely achieve a great enough length to be considered anything except a short twig. The mature bark of black tupelo is quite striking. While the immature bark is brown to gray-brown, with light furrows and a ridged to shingled appearance, the mature bark is medium gray, and has distinctly flat-topped blocks with deep crevices in-between. The closest bark which could be mistaken for black tupelo is that of mature persimmon, which has sharper ridges on its blocky bark.