Sweetgum

Also Known As: Redgum, Sapgum, Starleaf-gum, Bilsted

Scientific Name Liquidambar styraciflua

Trail Location 25

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Sweetgum at Townsend River Walk & Arboretum

Plant Type

Deciduous

Family

Altingiaceae

USDA Hardiness Zones

5, 6, 7, 8, 9

USDA Plant Id

list2

Height

60 - 80

ft.

Spread

40 - 50

ft.

Flower:

Minimal

Leaf Description:

A star shaped leaf with 5 - 7 lobes. It is aromatic when crushed.

Fall Leaf Color:

Brilliant Reds, Oranges and Yellows

Wildlife Value

Birds: Nesting, cover and food.
Mammals: Food

Missouri Botanical

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

In East Tennessee this tall "teepee" shaped tree is often called a Gumball tree, due to the golf ball sized fruit with sharp points. It loves the acidic soil in the is area and propagates fairly easily. It is a hardwood with important lumber value.

Leaf of the Sweetgum. Notice the star shape and 5 nodes.
sweetgumleaf900

Leaf of the Sweetgum. Notice the star shape and 5 nodes.
Fruit of the Sweetgum. Notice the sharp spikes on the outer fruit shell.
sweetgumfruit1200

Fruit of the Sweetgum. Notice the sharp spikes on the outer fruit shell.
Mousey gray bark.
trunkbark900

Mousey gray bark.
Summer leaves and fruit developing.
leafgrouping1200

Summer leaves and fruit developing.
COurtesy of the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 235.
sweetgum drawing

COurtesy of the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 235.