Red Rage® Black Sour Gum Tupelo Tree

Red Rage® Tupelo is Nyssa sylvatica ‘Haymanred’, a selection discovered by plantsman Mike Hayman in southern Indiana. J. Frank Schmidt’s exact-selection profile describes a broadly pyramidal tree about 35 feet tall and 20 feet wide, with glossy dark green summer foliage that turns bright red in fall; it lists USDA zone 5. ## Garden Use The selection offers the seasonal color and shade-tree form of black gum with a particularly vivid red autumn display. The breeder page reports resistance to leaf spot and a seedless fruit description for this selection. Its established cultivar name remains Haymanred, while Red Rage® is the trade name. ## Growing Conditions Choose a sunny site with enough room for the mature crown. North Carolina Extension notes that Nyssa sylvatica prefers moist, acidic soil and can adapt to varying moisture, including some dry and occasionally wet conditions. The JFS cultivar profile provides a zone 5 hardiness reference, with no upper zone specified on the page. ## Maintenance Water regularly during establishment and provide space for the tree’s roots and canopy. See the [JFS Red Rage® Tupelo profile](https://jfschmidt.com/all-trees/introductions/red-rage-tupelo/) and [North Carolina Extension black gum profile](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nyssa-sylvatica/common-name/black-gum/) for selection and species details.