American Sweetgum Sweet Gum Tree Leaves

After dormancy the small green flowers of the sweetgum begin to bloom from march to may.

American sweetgum sweet gum tree leaves. American sweetgum liquidambar styraciflua also known as american storax hazel pine bilsted redgum satin walnut star leaved gum alligatorwood or simply sweetgum is a deciduous tree in the genus liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern north america and tropical montane regions of mexico and central america sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the. Sweetgum are native to the southeastern united states and belong to the altingiaceae family. The american sweetgum tree liquidambar styraciflua is a beautiful tree that is native to the southeastern united states. Trees are the backbone of any good landscape plan.

Trees vary in height the shape of their canopies type of foliage fall color flowers or fruit as well as other. If you re afraid of the messy gumballs or seed pods produced by many sweetgums look for a non fruiting variety of this popular tree. From march to april meiosis occurs to produce haploid gametes with pollen dispersal occurring afterward. This tree is monoecious meaning that it has both staminate and.

While you wait the tree has much to offer. Plant trees 8 to 10 feet or more from curbs. It produces star shaped leaves that remain on the tree until quite late into the fall providing brilliant fall color with leaves turning vibrant shades of yellow orange red and purple. Uses for a sweet gum tree.

The first historical reference to the tree comes from the author and soldier don bernal diaz del castillo who accompanied cortez in 1519 and was a witness to ceremonies between cortez and montezuma who both partook of a liquid amber extracted. Some communities have large numbers of sweetgum planted as street trees. The trees spike ball fruit is almost as telltale for identification as the star shaped leaves. The gum has long been harvested and used for chewing gum.

It takes the sweet gum tree 20 to 30 years to mature enough to produce its fruit. American sweetgum are deciduous trees prized for their star shaped leaves that turn a mix of brilliant fall colors. The widely distributed maple is part of the much larger sapindaceae family and includes trees as different as the japanese maple the horse chestnut and the lychee. Sweet gum trees liquidambar styraciflua are a common sight in the eastern united states and in several central american and southern mexican regions.

Facts on the sweet gum tree. The others are found only in asia. The sweetgum tree is native to the southeastern united states and a member of a genus made up of only six species. This stately tree.

Like the maple the sweetgum is also known for the rich spectrum of color it. It is not however sweet. The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark. Much of the root system is shallow.

From native trees for north american landscapes sternberg wilson be careful when locating sweetgum as a street tree since its large aggressive roots may lift curbs and sidewalks.