NAME:
COMMON – Sweetgum
BOTANICAL – Liquidambar styraciflua
FAMILY – Hamamelidaceae

DERIVATION:
Native to North Carolina and throughout eastern United States and Mexico.

GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS:
It may grow 60 to 100 feet tall,  40-50 foot spread and a trunk diameter of 4 feet or more.

LOCATION:
Found in wet river bottoms, in swamps that frequently flood, and on drier uplands (except the high mountains) throughout North Carolina. Grows in full sun to partial shade in neutral to acidic soil that is moist yet well-drained.

ATTRIBUTES, VALUE, UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS:
It is often the bane of some homeowners’ existence because of its messy, troublesome fruit. Small, bright yellow-green (tinged with red) flowers mature on stalks in spring. The female flowers give way to spherical, spiny fruiting heads, known as gumballs, which are composed of numerous tiny capsules, each bearing one or two-winged seeds. The fruit litters the ground between December and April.

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