Sweet Gum
Liquidambar styraciflua L.
Also known as Redgum.
Mature Size: 60 to 90 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter.
Form: Straight trunk and pyramid-shaped crown, becoming more spreading with age.
Habitat: Rich river bottoms, swamp edges and drier uplands.
Leaves
Alternate, simple, 4 to 6 inches long and wide, star-shaped, with 5 (occasionally 7) pointed lobes and finely saw-toothed edges; fragrant when crushed; fall color red, purple, orange and gold, often on the same tree.
Flowers
Small, bright yellow-green tinged with red, in ball-like clusters; females on slender drooping stalks; males in several clusters on an upright stalk; both appearing early to mid-spring.
Fruit
1 to 1½ inch prickly ball, composed of many beak-shaped capsules, at first green but becoming brown and woody, containing small seeds; "gumballs" often hang on the tree through the winter.
Bark
Gray-brown, roughened by corky scales, later becoming deeply furrowed.
Twigs
Medium textured, shiny green to yellow-brown, usually with corky, wing-like outgrowths, particularly when fast growing; end buds large, usually sticky, covered with green to orange-brown, shiny scales.
Values and Uses
The wood is heavy, moderately hard, close-grained and not durable when exposed to weather. It is used for flake and strand boards, interior finish, paper pulp, veneers, plywood and baskets. The reddish heartwood present in large trees was once used in furniture as a substitute for mahogany. Small songbirds, chipmunk and squirrels eat the seeds, and the twigs are browsed by mice and rabbits. A "fruitless" variety has been developed for landscape planting.
Did You Know?
The hardened sap was once used as a chewing gum.
