American Sweet Gum Tree Leaf

This list includes sycamore yellow poplar and sweetgum trees.

American sweet gum tree leaf. On some trees the branches are winged as on winged euonymus. Some people refer to these leaves as having a star form or a maple like. The sweetgum tree is native to the southeastern united states and a member of a genus made up of only six species. This leaf is borne on corky winged limbs and the bark is gray brown deeply furrowed with narrow ridges.

The others are found only in asia. The first historical reference to the tree comes from the author and soldier don bernal diaz del castillo who accompanied cortez in 1519 and was a witness to ceremonies between cortez and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 from a sweetgum tree. It is easily recognized by its star shaped leaves and its woody spiny ball like fruit. The tree prefers moist slightly acidic soil but.

The sweetgum is a fast growing tree that develops a significant taproot that tolerate high moisture levels in soil. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. Liquidambar styraciflua is known as the american sweetgum. Styraciflua is a deciduous tree to 20m tall broadly conical in outline with rather glossy maple like 5 to 7 lobed leaves which turn to shades of orange crimson and purple in autumn plant range eastern usa.

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. American sweetgum can reach 80 feet in height at maturity with a spread of about 60 feet. They are decorative deciduous trees that are used in the wood industry and for ornamental purposes. Sweet gum trees are native to the eastern u s but grow well throughout u s.

They were formerly often treated in hamamelidaceae. The leaves which are five lobed and shaped like stars provide excellent fall foliage color. The tree itself was first noticed and recorded by the historian alvar nunez. Sweetgum is a pioneer species often found after an area has been logged or clearcut and one of the most common tree species in the eastern united states.

The leaves of a maple tree are very distinct but that shape does not belong to maple leaves alone a number of broadleaf trees have maple like leaves. The fruit is a conspicuous spiked ball that hangs in. Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9 in full sun. This tree may also be found in mixed woodlands.

Like the maple tree these species have leaves whose ribs or veins radiate out from a single stalk or petiole attachment in a palmate pattern that is the lobes resemble a set of fingers. It is a deciduous tree that can be found in southeastern u s as well as southern mexico and central america. The star like leaf has 5 or 7 lobes or points and turns from green in summer to yellow or purple in autumn.