Botanical Name:

Liquidambar styraciflua

Common Name:

American sweetgum, sweet-gum

Family Name:

Hamamelidaceae – witchhazel family

General Description:

Liquidambar styraciflua is a large deciduous tree with distinctive star-shaped leaves and brown, spike-like “gum ball” fruit. It is native in rich bottomland soils of southeastern United States including the southern portion of Illinois. For use in the Chicago area it is important to select from northern seed or nursery sources. The Morton Arboretum suggests using the cultivar ‘Moraine’ for improved cold hardiness.

Zone:

5-9

Resources Consulted:

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Champaign: Stipes, 2009. Print.

"The PLANTS Database." USDA, NRCS. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA, 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

“Sweet-gum." Trees & Plants. Morton Arboretum, 2013. Web. 22 March 2014.

Swink, Floyd, and Gerould Wilhelm. Plants of the Chicago Region. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994. Print.

Creator:

Julia Fitzpatrick-Cooper, Professor, College of DuPage

Creation Date:

2014

Keywords/Tags:

Liquidambar styraciflua, American sweetgum, sweet-gum, deciduous, tree

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