Identification Sweet Gum Tree Leaves
Margin toothed tips long pointed.
Identification sweet gum tree leaves. A medium sized to large tree growing to 65 155 feet 20 35 m with a trunk up to 6 feet 2 m in diameter can live to 400 years. The deciduous leaves are maplelike in outline with five pointed lobes and lightly toothed margins. The fruit is a conspicuous spiked ball that hangs in clusters. This name was derived from the tree s innate property of secreting a resin like substance.
This tree may also be found in mixed woodlands. The deeply cut grey or brownish grey bark forms winged projections on the twigs. Silver dollar gum tree native to south eastern australia. Along the rivers of the south eastern united states sweet gums exceed 125 ft.
Some people refer to these leaves as having a star form or a maple like silhouette. Spotted gum tree has lemon scented leaves and spotted bark gum tree. Sweet gum is a large tree with a long cylindrical trunk pyramidal crown and corky wings on branches and twigs. The star like leaf has 5 or 7 lobes or points and turns from green in summer to yellow or purple in autumn.
This list includes sycamore yellow poplar and sweetgum trees. Green deane s itemized plant profile. Description of sweet gum tree. Leaves have substantial amounts of tannin.
The bark is grayish brown and deeply furrowed. Salmon gum tree named for its salmon colored bark in summer. The liquidambar styraciflua growth rate is. Scribbly gum tree distinctive markings on trunk made by moth larvae.
The sweet gum has a pyramidal habit when young eventually becoming rounded and tall up to more than 100 feet. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. 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. It thrives well in both acidic soil and alkaline soil and ponds and streams are its predominant areas.
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. 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. Sweet gum a tree of the witch hazel family hamamelidaceae native of the eastern united states also mexico and central america. Leaves alternating usually have five but sometimes three or seven sharply pointed palmate lobes.
Snow gum tree also known as ghost gum or weeping gum. In height and 4 ft. Sweet gum description a sweet gum is a deciduous tree in the witch hazel family that ranges in height from 60 to 100 feet and has a narrow oval canopy. The alternate palmate shiny leaves have usually five pointed finely.
Leaves slightly aromatic when bruised. American sweetgum 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. Stems often have corky and attractive wings during the second year. Dark green glossy turning brilliant orange red and purple the autumn.
This leaf is borne on corky winged limbs and the bark is gray brown deeply furrowed with narrow ridges. Fruit compound round 40 to 60 capsules each with. It is recognizable by the combination of its five po. The tree ranges between 80 to 150 feet in height.