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Mertensia virginica en masse.
Mertensia virginica en masse. Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Trees / Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)

Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)

Male and female (suspended as a single, spherical mass) flowers of native Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum).
Sweet gum leaves in October.
Eastern gray squirrel on Liquidambar styraciflua
The corky-winged branches of Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum) in February.

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Liquidambar styraciflua Tried and True Native Plant Selections Sweetgum for the Mid-Atlantic Prevalent in the southeast,* this low maintenance tree is prized for its timber. Its common name derives from sweet, gummy, aromatic sap with compounds used in traditional and modern medicine. Its has distinctive star-shaped leaves and prickly seed balls that drop and litter the ground fall to spring. Tree Trees, Flowers, Alate Twigs, Fruit,** Fall Foliage Height: 60–90 feet Spread: 50–75 feet Bloom Color: Yellow-green tinged with red Characteristics Tall, straight-trunked deciduous tree with pyramid- shaped crown becoming rounded with age Alternate, glossy, star-shaped, toothed leaves Yellow-green flowers in ball-like clusters early spring Green, protruding beak-like capsules of 1–2 seeds winged at one end in woody balls in July ripen to brown; empty capsules may persist into March Superb fall foliage: yellows, oranges, reds, purples Twigs often form scaly, corky wings hence nick- name: alligator tree; mature bark deeply furrowed Attributes Tolerates clay, short-duration flooding, rabbits, but not alkaline soil; rapid-growing, long-lived, adaptable No serious pests or diseases; deer occasionally severely damage Ethnobotanic uses; leaves fragrant when crushed Attracts wildlife, providing cover, nesting sites, and food for songbirds and small mammals Growing and Maintenance Tips Soil Requirements: Acidic, well-drained soil Excellent Replacement for Acer platanoides - Norway Maple Light Requirements: Sun, Partial Shade Water Requirements: Moist, Wet Transplant best in spring in well-watered soil Ailanthus altissima - Tree of Heaven *It is native to DC and common in DE. In PA, it is found mostly in the extreme southeast. In VA, it is common in the Coastal Plain and outer Piedmont, becoming infrequent to rare in the inner and far northern Piedmont, and disjunct across the Blue Ridge. It is native to NoVA but unreported in Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, and Manassas. **Depicts green fruit in August and mature fruit in December. Trees 25 years or older produce fruit. Use in large, open landscapes or lawns (prickly balls can be a hazard with foot traffic or mowing) Hardiness: USDA Zones 5b–9 developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills and Mary Free (middle row), Glencarlyn Library Garden

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic 

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Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)

Common in the southeast,* this low maintenance, ornamental shade tree is prized for its timber and sweet, gummy aromatic sap, from which it derives its common name. It is distinguished by star-shaped leaves as well as prickly seed balls that litter the ground as they drop from fall to spring.

*It is native to DC and common in DE. In PA, it is found mostly in the extreme southeast. In VA, it is common in the Coastal Plain and outer Piedmont, becoming infrequent to rare in the inner and far northern Piedmont, and disjunct across the Blue Ridge. It is native to NoVA but unreported in Alexandria, Fairfax City, Falls Church, and Manassas.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets

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