Sweetgum

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Liquidambar styraciflua

FAMILY: Hamamelidaceae

This tree in Colorado: The Colorado State Champion Sweetgum (DBH 17”/Height 57’) is located in Fort Collins. Please refer to the Colorado Tree Coalition's Fort Collins Notable Tree Tour for its location.

Hardiness: Zones 5 to 9

Growth rate: Medium to fast

Growth habit: Pyramidal when young, rounded at maturity.

Foliage: Alternate, simple, 4 to 7.5” wide and about as high, star shaped leaves with 5 to 7 finely serrate lobes. Leaves are medium green in summer and orange, purple, red or yellow in autumn.

Flowers: Color: green , yellow; characteristics: inconspicuous and not showy; spring flowering.

Fruit: Long-stemmed, woody and bur-like; approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Bark: Grayish brown, deeply furrowed into narrow, somewhat rounded ridges.

Insects and diseases: Iron chlorosis can be a problem on high pH soils, sweetgum webworm, sweetgum scale, caterpillars, walnut scale, bleeding necrosis, leaf spots.

Cultivars: Many

Landscape value: Lawn, park, or street tree but needs large area for root development. Site requirements: sun to partial shade; dry to moist soil. Most vigorous in moist sites.

Interesting features: Fruit of this tree can be both a good identification feature and quite messy.

Information sources: Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (University of Georgia, 1990)

Photo by wikipedia