NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details
Liquidambar styraciflua
Sweet Gum, Red Gum, Sweetgum
Scientific Name: |
Liquidambar styraciflua |
---|---|
Genus: |
Liquidambar |
Species Epithet: |
styraciflua |
Common Name: |
Sweet Gum, Red Gum, Sweetgum |
Plant Type |
Tree |
Life Cycle |
Perennial |
Plant Family |
Altingiaceae (Sweet-Gum Family) |
Native/Alien: |
NC Native |
Size: |
72-100 ft. |
Bloom Color(s): |
Yellow, Green |
Light: |
Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day |
Soil Moisture: |
Dry, Moist |
Bloom Time: |
March, April, May |
Growing Area: |
Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain |
Habitat Description: |
Swamp forests, floodplains, moist forests, depressional wetlands, old fields, disturbed areas (Weakley 2015). Common throughout NC. |
Leaf Arrangement: |
Alternate |
Leaf Retention: |
Deciduous |
Leaf Type: |
Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like |
Leaf Form: |
Simple |
Life Cycle: |
Perennial |
Wildlife Value: |
Important for Wildlife |
Landscape Value: |
Suitable for home landscapes |
State Rank: |
S5: Secure (*Key) |
Global Rank: |
G5 - Secure (*Key) |
Notes: |
"One of the most spectacular of our trees in the fall; a single tree often has a mixture of green, yellow, orange, dark red, bronze, and purple leaves. The sap was previously gathered as a source of chewing gum. The bark is one of the favorite foods of beavers. Although sometimes thought of as a small and weedy tree, Liquidambar reaches its greatest abundance and size in Coastal Plain swamp forests, where it can reach 2 meters in diameter. Along with such species as Pinus taeda, Quercus phellos, and others, Liquidambar is a good example of a primarily bottomland tree which has proven to be an excellent colonizer of disturbed uplands." (Weakley 2015) |
Jack Spruill, Hampstead, April 15, 2011 |
|
Jack Spruill, Hampstead, 2011 |
|
Paynter, May 2011 |
|
Paynter, Wilmington, May, 2011 |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Links: |
back to top
go to plant details search
go to plant images search
go to gallery home
back to Initial l Gallery
back to orchids
back to Carnivorous Plants
back to Trilliums