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Gardening | Plant ID
sweet gum
Liquidambar
American sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
The leaf can be easily identified by the 3-5 pointed star shape. Sweet gum belonged formerly to the witch hazel family (Hamemelidaceae), but has been assigned to the Altingiaceae family with Liquidamber being the only cultivar in the family.
The sweet gum tree is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained, non-alkaline soils in full sun. The trees are winter hardy in USDA hardiness zone 5-9. The tree shape is rounded to columnar and has a ball shaped fruit. Often selected as a fast growing shade tree it can provide beautiful fall color. The fall color has a wide range; including golden yellow to bright red and crimson red. The gumball seed pod, called a multiple capsule, will attract small birds but can become a nuisance when they dry and fall to the ground.
In the spring a new crop of gumballs begin to form, green throughout the summer, but gradually drying out to become spiky brown seed-carrying hulls or complex "seed capsules." In the sweet gum the globose fruiting heads are composed of numerous tiny capsules, each bearing one or two winged seeds and a number of immature seeds. The capsuled fruit provides seeds to small birds in the summer and fall. Chickadees, finches, and nuthatches will begin pressing their small beaks into the sweet gum balls’ many chambers, extracting the two edible seeds that each chamber contains.
If you enjoy working with children on natural crafts, gather the sweet gum seed pods and peruse ideas on this Pinterest board, jam packed with something for all ages.
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Sweet Gum Bark |
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| A brilliant red sweet gum leaf against a canvas of golden ginkgo leaves |
All material © 2007-2019 by Jeanette Hyden for Grassroots Horticulture
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