Description

• Commonly referred to as sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua is native to the bottomlands of the eastern United States. The tree has an upright cone shape when young that becomes more spreading with age. Liquidambar's distinctive foliage is star-shaped and 4 to 7 inches in diameter. The tree's foliage turns purple, orange, yellow and red in fall. Liquidambar flowers in spring with yellow-green, inconspicuous blooms.
  
  

Uses

• In the landscape, Liquidambar makes a good shade tree or focal point in the middle of a large lawn. The plant also does well as a street tree, providing ample room exists. As a hardwood tree, the liquidambar's dark-purple heartwood is used to make flooring, furniture, veneer and interior trim. High-quality paper and baskets are made from the tree's pulpwood.
  
  

Varieties

• Several Liquidambar cultivars exist. Some common selections include Grazam, which features wide, glossy-green leaves that turn shades of orange and reddish-purple in the fall. Moraine is an especially cold hardy cultivar that grows quickly with an upright, rounded growth habit. Golden Treasure showcases deep-green leaves bordered in gold. Burgundy features deep-purple and red fall foliage, and Rotundiloba's rounded leaves turn burgundy, purple, red and yellow.
  
  

Growing Requirements

• Liquidambar requires a full sun to light shade location with deep, moist soil. Although sweetgum survives drought conditions, it does best when watered on a weekly basis during warm months of the year when no rainfall occurs. Feed the tree once at the beginning of the growing season with an all-purpose, well-balanced fertilizer.
  
  

Warnings

• Mature Liquidambar trees create and drop an abundant amount of round, spiky fruit that becomes a litter problem and creates hazardous conditions. The fruit balls are easy to trip on and hurt when you step on them in bare feet.
  
  Liquidambar is shallow-rooted, making the tree prone to toppling during high winds. In highly alkaline soils, sweetgum experiences iron chlorosis, which can disrupt growth. Lower the soil pH by applying soil sulfur according to package directions.
  
  

Fun Facts

• Liquidambar gets its name from the sweet, amber resin that lies beneath the tree's bark. North American pioneers once peeled the bark and scraped out the resin to use as chewing gum.