Carlyle Lake

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Sweet Gum

Liquidambar styraciflua

Deciduous

Other Name: Red Gum

Sweet Gum Bark
Sweet Gum Bark
Sweet Gum Diagram
Sweet Gum Diagram
Sweet Gum Leaf
Sweet Gum Leaf
Sweet Gum Leaves
Sweet Gum Leaves
Sweet Gum Seed
Sweet Gum Seed
 

Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades shaped like 5 to 7 pointed stars, each point toothed along the edge, as much as six inches long and nearly as broad. In autumn, the leaves turn a variety of colors, from red to yellow to purple.

Buds: Large, shiny, pointed, sometimes sticky to touch.

Bark: Usually dark gray and broken into scaly ridges.

Twigs: Stout, often bordered by corky wings; leaf scars alternated, with 3 bundle traces.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate on the same tree crowded together in rounded clusters, opening at about the same time as the leaves unfold.

Fruits: The fruit or seed “ball” is about one inch diameter, covered by numerous short, often sharp projections, with many seeds, most of which are incapable of germinating.

Wood: Hard, strong, durable.

Uses: Lumber, furniture, flooring. The attractive leaves make this tree a handsome ornamental.

Habitat: Bottomland Woods.

Growth Form: Up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter sometimes more than 3 feet; crown usually pyramidal.

Distinguishing Feature: The star-shaped leaves and leaf color variety in autumn readily distinguish this tree.

Source: Mohlenbrock, Robert. Forest Trees of Illinois. Eighth Edition, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 1996.