Liquidambar styraciflua (American sweetgum)

Liquidambar styraciflua L.

American sweetgum, redgum, sweetgum, starleaf-gum

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Hamamelidae	Wind-pollinated shrubs
Order	Hamamelidales	Witch hazels and related plants
Family	Hamamelidaceae	Witch-hazels
Genus	Liquidambar	From the Latin liquidus, “liquid, flowing,” and the Arabic ambar or anbar, “ambergris,” in reference to the fragrant gum or resin exuded by this tree
Species	styraciflua	Flowering with gum, see following entry

About plant names...

American sweetgum is native to the eastern United States and mountainous regions of Mexico and Guatemala.

Identification: Sweetgum trees have several unusual and interesting features. They are 60-100' (18-30 m) tall, and 40-60' (12-18 m) wide. Some trees develop corklike ridges on 2-year-old stems (Photo 7), or even pyramid-shaped bumps. Leaves are distinctively shaped—a 5- or 7-pointed star. Leaf edges have somewhat serrated edges. When crushed, the leaves produce a camphor-like odor. In the fall, leaves may be shades of red, orange, deep red, or purplish. Flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green in color. The distinctive-looking fruits are tough spiny round or oval balls that persist through the winter.

Online References:

Liquidambar styraciflua on the USDA Plants Database

Liquidambar styraciflua on www.carolinanature.com

Liquidambar styraciflua at the University of Connecticut Plant Database

Liquidambar styraciflua at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Liquidambar styraciflua on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

1 · 7/20/2017 · Douthat State Park, Millboro, Virginia
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm)

2 · 4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm)

3 · 7/20/2017 · Douthat State Park, Millboro, Virginia
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

4 · 5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 4 × 3½" (11 × 9.2 cm)

5 · 5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 10 × 15" (26 × 39 cm)

6 · 5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

Liquidambar styraciflua description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

7 · 5/6/2011 · Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, Chester, Maryland
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm)

8 · 4/9/2011 · Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, Maryland
≈ 6 × 6" (15 × 14 cm)

9 · 3/13/2012 · New Jersey
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

10 · 4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland
≈ 17 × 12" (43 × 29 cm)

11 · 7/20/2017 · Douthat State Park, Millboro, Virginia
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

12 · 4/9/2011 · Sandy Point State Park, Annapolis, Maryland
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm)

13 · 8/30/2013 · Chris and Kelley’s, Midlothian, Virginia
≈ 3½ × 3" (8.9 × 8.3 cm)

14 · 11/8/2015

Range:

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