Description
Liquidambar – Sweetgum –
There are 4 species of tall, deciduous, monoecious trees in this genus. They occur in moist woodland in Eastern and Southwestern Asia, Turkey, North America and Mexico. They are grown for their particularly for their attractive foliage, which colors in shades of orange, red, and purple in autumn, and for their conical form. The maple like leaves are alternate and palmately 3 to 7 lobed. In conspicuous, yellow-green flowers are held in rounded heads in late spring, the female flowers are followed by spiky, spherical fruit clusters. Sweetgums are excellent as street tree, or as specimen trees.
Grow in moderately fertile, preferably acidic or neutral, moist but well drained soil, in full sun for best autumn color, or partial shade. Tolerates alkaline soil.
Prone to leaf spot, bleeding canker, butt rot, wood rot, webworm, tent caterpillars, weevils, and borers.
L. formosana – L. formosana var. monticola – Chinese Liquidambar – Formosan Gum – This single trunk, broadly conical tree from Southeastern China and Taiwan grows 40-60′ feet tall and 30-40′ feet wide. It produces 3 lobed, toothed, leaves, usually downy beneath, to 5″ across, which are bronze when young and turn gold, red, and purple in autumn. The bark is grayish white that fissures with age. It bears small, yellow-green flowers in spring, followed by spiky, globular fruit clusters.
Zones 7-9
