American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua

Height: 60-75´
Habit: rounded-pyramidal

Landscape Value:

The sweetgum is used for yard, street, or park landscapes. It is a good shade tree with a dense canopy and pleasing, pyramidal form. It requires full sun and prefers moist, acid soil. The tree transplants fairly well but has a tendency to just "sit there" the first year after transplanting. Once established it will grow 2-3´ a year. A few pests and diseases affect it, but a vigorous tree in a sunny location should be relatively trouble-free. The spiny, sphere-shaped fruits can litter the ground creating a significant maintenance problem that should be taken into account when choosing the tree's location.

Seasonal Characteristics:

• Summer: The unmistakable star-shaped leaves are a glossy dark green and provide ample shade through the summer. The pyramidal canopy rounds off as the tree matures but is attractive where height, with less spread, is desired.
  
  
• Fall: Fall color is unique in the sweetgum. It can vary, but an attractive combination of yellow, orange, red, and purple can often be found on the same tree. The fruit ripens and is a maintenance concern all year. Planting this tree over a sidewalk is not recommended.

Points of Interest:

"Liquidambar" refers to the gold-colored and fragrant sap that was used for chewing gum and medicinal purposes. Don Bernal Diaz del Castillo reported that after ceremonies between Cortez and Montezuma, "They dined and they were presented with three little highly ornamented canes containing liquid ambar, mixed with an herb they call tobacco, and when he had sufficiently viewed and heard the singers and dancers, and buffoons, he took a little of the smoke of one of the canes." Gum from the tree was chewed for sore throats, coughs, and colds. In the South, twigs were dipped in whiskey and chewed to cure diarrhea. The tree goes by many different names: hazel pin, incense tree, satin walnut, red gum, or sap gum.

Native Range:

Illinois, Connecticut to Florida, west through Ohio, Indiana, south to Missouri, Texas, and Mexico. Usually found in moist bottomlands but adapts to drier areas as well.

Link to American Sweetgum