Post 34
Sweet Gum
Liguidambar styraciflua

Location

N39º28.886'
W088º24.773'

Date Planted

Spring 2004

---

Purchased with funds from the Lumpkin Foundation Grant.

---

---

---

Tree located at
Douglas-Hart Nature Center
Mattoon, Illinois

Tree Description

Has a straight trunk  with a diameter of 1 1/2 to 3 inches;  reaches a height of 60 to 100 feet;  branches that often have irregular, corky wings;  symmetrical-looking tree;  conical crown becomes rounded with age.

Habitat

Wet sites with acid soil;  chiefly southern lowlands in areas that are inundated much of the year. 

Range

Southeastern U.S. from North Florida as far north as Boston and as far west as East Texas and Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.

---

Leaf Description

Simple, deciduous;  alternate;  star-shaped, with 5 to 7 pointed lobes;  finely toothed margins;  resinous;  shiny dark green above, paler below;  base notched;  turning reddish in fall.

---

Bark Description

Grayish brown;  ridged and furrowed;  older branches can have corky ridges.

---

Fruit Description

Yellowish green flower;  tiny, inconspicuous;  pollen-producing male blossoms in racemes, seed producing female blossom is a ball hanging on a long stalk.  The fruit is a long-stemmed, woody, burr-like brown ball, 1-1 1/4 inch in diameter;  made up of many individual fruits, with prickly points on the surface; maturing in fall and persisting through winter.

---