The female structure is what hardens up into what are colloquially known as "gum balls," discussed further in the following section on sweetgum fruit. The sweetgum tree can withstand a wide range of temperatures, given that winter temperatures in the Northeast can get below freezing and summer temperatures can near 100 degrees Farenheit. Sweet Gum Slice Buckle. The lumber is made into boxes and crates, furniture, cabinets for radios, televisions, and phonographs, interior trim, and millwork. From $680. [17] The fruit is thorny and it is filled with numerous seeds. It is most populous in the American South, though, especially in the lower Mississippi Valley. Trees may live to 400 years. It’s Sweet Gum Ball time of year again and that means you may find yourself slipping on these prickly round seeds. Central America North America Sweet Gum Deciduous Trees Growing Tree Bud Close Up March Tropical. changing leaves - sweet gum tree stock pictures… Staminate flowers in terminal racemes two to three inches long, the pistillate in a solitary head on a slender peduncle borne in the axil of an upper leaf. Splitting sweet gum is without a doubt going to be a challenge. $155. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves (similar to maple leaves) and its hard, spiked fruits. Sweet gum tree has a breathtakingly beautiful fall foliage color that serves to be its crowning glory. The trunk of the sweetgum is rather straight; in small trees, branches protrude to create a pyramidal form and are small in diameter, while once the tree has aged, dominant branches emerge and their diameters expand. [13] The flowers are unisexual[18] and greenish in color. The sweet gum resembles a maple tree, and in the summer, the star-shaped leaves and sturdy trunk are impressive, if easily overlooked. The ovaries all more or less cohere and harden in fruit. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. [11][25] The wood is also used to make chopsticks for the East Asian market, as it has a naturally light color with appeal to certain segments of the Asian market. American sweetgum can reach 80 feet in height at maturity, with a spread of about 60 feet. A tree that is a candidate for the injection must have a trunk at least 2 inches in diameter, and the tree cannot have received a spray or soil treatment within two weeks. [8], The common name "sweet gum" refers to the species' "sweetish gum",[9] contrasting with the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), only distantly related, with which the sweet gum overlaps broadly in range. The lobed palmate leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall. Sweet Gum Fruit Husk: Capsules many, fused at base into long-pedunculate, spheric, echinate, 2-beaked [2] References 1. eFloras.org, Flora of North America, “Hamamelidaceae“ 2. eFloras.org, Flora of North America, “Liquidambar Linnaeus, Sp. [17], They are long and broad, with a 6–10 cm (2 1⁄4–4 in) petiole. Sweet Gum Chain Bracelet. It is used for furniture, interior trim, railroad ties, cigar boxes, crates, flooring, barrels, woodenware, and wood pulp. Foliage turns yellow to burgundy in fall. In some cases, at the peak of the fall foliage season, certain leaves may be red, others purple, others yellow, and still others orange (all on the same plant). It also does not benefit from the Tiller profession. Propagation Method. The resin is produced by stripping, boiling, and pressing the tree's bark. Sweet Gum Marquis Bracelet. [7], The US government distribution maps for this species are incorrect concerning the southern limit of distribution in Florida. The veneer and plywood, (typically backed with some other kind of wood which shrinks and warps less) are used for boxes, pallets, crates, baskets, and interior woodwork. … Art in the Everyday. There are many ovules but few mature.[11]. Needs … However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up. Habitat. Before you write them off as just a nuisance, consider these simple ways to utilize the Sweet Gum Ball Tree and it’s falling “fruit”. L. styraciflua "Rotundiloba" is the name of a cultivar (specially/selectively breeded sub-species) of sweetgum that actually does not have these fruits. Sweetgum trees only begin to flower at maturity around 20-30 years old. In formal mall plantings where exact duplicates are wanted, this has caused some disappointment. Native to eastern North America, Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum) is a magnificent, large, deciduous tree adorned with a straight trunk and a broadly conical crown. [7], Another distinctive feature of the tree is the peculiar appearance of its small branches and twigs. The downside to growing a sweetgum tree is the seed pods. [14] In abundance, they can leave a lawn lumpy. The American sweetgum is primarily distributed in the eastern and southern regions of the United States. Sweet Gum Turtle Bracelet. [11] Liquidambar styraciflua is known as the American sweetgum. As a monoecious plant, a sweet gum bears male and female flowers. It is not considered a Fruit or Vegetable and thus cannot be used in a Keg or Preserves Jar. The flowers tend to sit on higher up branches. You can ask most experts and they will tell you that splitting sweet gum is probably more difficult than splitting oak. Noteworthy Characteristics. It is commonly grown throughout its native North American range as well as many other temperate parts of the world. Each leaf blade tends to be 4-8 inches, and the edges are serrated, meaning slightly jagged/notched around each leaf's border. Some other fun facts about the American sweetgum include that it provides protection and food for many forest animals, including squirrels, deer, doves, and chipmunks. Family Hamamelidaceae . It is used for its lumber, and is one of the most common sources of hardwood and plywood, but also produces spectacular colors as it drops its leaves in the fall. Genus Liquidambar are deciduous trees grown for their alternate, maple-like leaves which take on brilliant and long-lasting autumn colour; flowers and fruits are inconspicuous . Before you write them off as just a nuisance, consider these simple ways to utilize the Sweet Gum Ball Tree and it’s falling “fruit”. Their fall color lasts much longer than most other trees. The leaves are three to seven inches broad with glandular serrate teeth. However, the wood is heavy and hard with an interlocking grain,[7] but is difficult to season. Uses for a Sweet Gum Tree Ornamental and Landscape Uses. Florel® brand Growth Regulator is registered to reduce or eliminate undesirable fruit development on many ornamental trees and shrubs such as: apple, buckeye, carob, cottonwood, crabapple, elm, flowering pear, horse chestnut, maple, oak, olive, pine, sour orange, sweet gum (liquidambar) and sycamore. Once the seed has germinated and the vegetative buds appear, there is a rapid growth of leaves, also during the spring time. Timber … [13] Each capsule, containing one to two small seeds, has a pair of terminal spikes (for a total of 80–120 spikes). From March to April, meiosis occurs to produce haploid gametes, with pollen dispersal occurring afterward. It is often the bane of some homeowner’s existence because of its troublesome fruit. Infection and fungal development of D. dryina were investigated on leaves of sweet gum using a combination of microscopic techniques. Liquidambar styraciflua, or Sweetgum, is a large. The wood has a specific gravity of 0.5910. The long-stemmed fruit balls of Liquidambar resemble those of the American sycamore or buttonwood (Platanus occidentalis), but are spiny and remain intact after their seeds are dispersed; the softer fruits of Platanus disintegrate upon seed dispersal. Branches tend to droop a bit and can carry small thorns, and the twigs themselves tend to be red/brown colored. [23] Its wood is bright reddish brown (with the sapwood nearly white) and may have black grain in the heartwood; it is heavy, straight, satiny, and close-grained, but not strong. American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as American storax,[2] hazel pine,[3] bilsted,[4] redgum,[2] satin-walnut,[2] star-leaved gum,[4] alligatorwood,[2] or simply sweetgum,[2][5] 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. Big yellow and reddish star-shaped leaves with a balsamic fragrance. The bark attaches itself to these in plates edgewise instead of laterally, and a piece of the leafless branch with the aid of a little imagination readily takes on a reptilian form; indeed, the tree is sometimes called "alligatorwood". [28], Liquidambar styraciflua is a popular ornamental and forestal tree, cultivated for its distinctive foliage and intense autumn colors. Latin (scientific) name: Liquidambar styraciflua. Younger trees, on the other hand, tend to have smoother bark, and occasionally displace cork-like projections, as shown in the picture. 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