Red Sweet Gum Tree Leaf

Leaves slightly aromatic when bruised.

Red sweet gum tree leaf. Grows 60 70 with a 45 spread. In missouri it typically occurs in moist low woods and along streams only in the far southeastern corner of the state steyermark. Dentate serrate hairs present. Although native to eastern north america it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range.

Leaves turn yellow purple red in the fall and stay on the tree quite late. Altingiaceae sweet gums formerly hamamelidaceae description. Leaves are alternate simple star shaped with 5 sometimes 7 lobes 3 6 inches wide deeply lobed. It is recognizable by the combination of its five po.

The sweetgum tree has alternate simple serrate palmate venation glossy deciduous long stalked deep green leaves 4 8 across with toothed margins. If an appropriate space is available check out the cold hardy cultivar moraine which is recommended for northern illinois. Sweet gum tree has maple like leaves that turn yellow to red in the fall. Sweet gum is known for its unique star shaped leaves with outstanding yellow red and purple fall color.

Facts on the sweet gum tree. American sweetgum also known as american storax hazel pine bilsted redgum satin walnut star leaved gum alligatorwood or simply sweetgum is a deciduous tree in the genus liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern north america and tropical montane regions of mexico and central america. Deltoid palmasect leaf margin. Trees are the backbone of any good landscape plan.

Sweetgum grows from connecticut southward throughout the east to central florida and eastern texas and is a very common commercial timber species of the south. They range in color from green to yellow to deep red. Sweetgum is easy to identify in both summers and in winter. Its shape is pyramidal becoming more rounded with age.

Sweetgum leaves are star shaped with five sometimes seven long pointed lobes whose veins connect to a notched base. Liquidambar styraciflua commonly called sweet gum is a low maintenance deciduous shade tree that is native from connecticut to florida and missouri further south to texas mexico and central america. Sweetgum is sometimes called redgum probably because of the red color of the older heartwood and its red fall leaves. Deep glossy green star shaped leaves mark the sweetgum.

Margin toothed tips long pointed. The sweetgum produces greenish flowers covered with fine hairs and its fruit resembles small sticker balls or burr balls which are eaten by birds and chipmunks. It can be an excellent shade tree in the right location away from foot traffic where the spiky gumball fruits will not be an annoyance. 3 6 inches leaf width.

See more pictures of trees. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. Sweet gum is a large tree with a long cylindrical trunk pyramidal crown and corky wings on branches and twigs.