Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)
Habit
Sweetgum is a large canopy tree native to Eastern North America. It typically grows 60-75 feet tall with a rounded crown at maturity. Widely planted and a great native tree. Sweetgum is well-known for its distinctive star shaped leaves and spiny fruit.
Color
Sweetgum leaves turn beautiful shades of purple, orange, red, and yellow in autumn. Individual trees have variable fall color but in general we have seen trees with great combinations of this color palette.
Culture
Great tree for parks, landscapes, and restoration projects. Adaptable to many sites but does best in well-drained moist soil. Since Sweetgum is notorious for its fleshy roots, we focus on growing trees that have maximum amounts of fibrous roots to make transplanting easy.