Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Hamamelidaceae (Witchhazel Family)
▲ mature tree
▲▼ leaves, with some immature fruit visible below
▲ some trees have corky growths on some twigs
▲ trunk and bark
Location on Missouri State University campus: east of Plaster Student Union, in island by Siceluff Hall
Liquidambar
styraciflua: Sweetgum
·
leaves
alternate, deciduous, simple, palmately 5-7 lobed with serrate lobes; 4-7.5"
long and equally wide; dark green and glossy above, lighter beneath; often with
good fall colorC yellow, orange, red purple
·
stems
slender to stout, some with thick, corky wings; usually yellow to brown; pith
star-shaped, solid white to brown
·
bark
gray-brown with deep furrows and rounded ridges
·
grows
60-75' tall with 2/3 as wide in upright, oval outline
·
fruit
is a spiny pediceled ball (syncarp of capsules)
·
prefers full sun and deep, moist, well-drained, acidic, high organic-matter
soil, but tolerates most soils; fleshy roots sensitive during transplanting
·
medium
to fast growth rate
·
native
to Missouri