Liquidambar styraciflua
Sweetgum
Please register or login to build your personal plant list.Sweet Gum is a large, low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly deciduous tree. It is monoecious; yellow-green male and female flowers bloom separately...
Description:
Sweet Gum is a large, low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly deciduous tree. It is monoecious; yellow-green male and female flowers bloom separately on the same tree, April-May. Female flowers are followed by “gum balls” — hard, spherical, pointy seed pods, which house seeds that are an attractive food source for birds and wildlife. The seed pods may be considered unsightly litter by some, but the benefits to wildlife far outweigh this minor nuisance. Sweet Gum trees also provide nesting sites and cover for birds and wildlife. Select its placement carefully, as it is intolerant of alkaline soils and shade. Use it as a specimen tree or shade tree in your yard. It can also be used as a stately street tree; however, clean-up of the gumballs must be managed.
Plant Details:
Plant Type: Tree
New Jersey Native: Yes
Bloom Times: Spring, Late Spring to Early Summer
Bloom Colors: Yellow, Green
Deer Resistance: None
Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: Birds
Salt Tolerance: Low to None
Hardiness Zone: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Physiographic Region: Piedmont - P, Highland - H, Coastal Plain - CP
Grows in Special Ecoregions: Barrier Island/Coastal, Pinelands
Soil Characteristics
Soil Type: Loam, Organic, Sandy, Clay
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Soil pH: Acidic, Slightly Acidic, Neutral
Light Needs of Plant
Optimal Light: Full Sun
Light Range: Full Sun
Water Needs of Plant
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Drought Tolerance: Low
Size and Growth Rate
Height: 60 - 80 ft
Spread: 40 - 60 ft
Growth Rate: Fast