Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua, is one of the
most recognizable trees due to the round spiny fruits often called gumballs,
but these are only found on the female trees.The male trees have flowers that shed shortly after pollination and when
compared to stepping on the fruits barefooted they are relatively
inconspicuous.When William Bartram was
traveling throughout the southeast looking for unique productions of nature he
would collect samples often including seed and send them to his benefactor Dr. Fothergill.The diversity was such that in England they
were amazed at the wonderful introductions that were made including sweetgum,
which to us is almost a weed. William Bartram describe the trunks of trees virgin forest that included sweetgums like column holding up a the canopy as if it were the ceiling of a temple or cathedral.Both the vernacular name and genus refers to the gummy sap that oozes from wounds while
the specific epithet may refer to the star shape of the leaves or even the
gumballs.The shape of the leaves also
results in it being mistaken for maple (Acer) by novices, but a key difference is that
sweetgum has alternate leaves while maples have opposite leaves.The wood is mostly used for pulp, engineered
lumber products, and furniture because it is too flexible and spongy for other
uses including split logs for firewood.We have girdled unwanted trees to kill them but it seems to take years
longer for them to die than for other species.As long
as there is no danger when it falls a dead snag at least makes a good home for
woodpeckers. The Alabama state champion sweetgum is 75 feet tall, 161 inches around and has an average limb spread of 66 feet.
