Sweetgum

Scientific Name: Liquidambar styraciflua L.

Sweetgum

General Information
Usda Symbol	LIST2
Group	Dicot
Life Cycle	Perennial
Growth Habits	Tree
Native Locations	LIST2

Plant Guide

Uses

Ethnobotanic: The sweetgum tree was used by the Cherokee, Choctaw, Koasati, Rappahannock and other Native American tribes for various purposes. The hardened gum, or rosin from the tree was used as chewing gum. A piece of the bark was knocked from the tree. After one week, the sap from the wound was hardened and could be collected and used for chewing gum. Tea was made from both the fruits and the bark. The hardened sap was rolled up and then placed in a dog’s nose to treat distemper. A salve was made by mixing the plant with animal tallow for application to wounds, cuts, sores, bruises, and ulcers. The plant was boiled until a scum rose to the top. This scum was then mixed with the roots of Obolaria virginica and used as a dressing for cuts and bruises. The roots were boiled into a strong tea to treat skin sores that were possibly caused by small worms under the skin. A “drawing plaster” was made from the gum. Ten to a dozen drops of the sap were taken before meals to reduce fevers. The sap and inner bark were used to treat diarrhea and dysentery. The bark was used to make an infusion that was used as a sedative for nervous patients and for patients who were well in the day but sick during the night. The plant was used to treat colic, internal diseases and to “comfort the heart.” Wildlife: Goldfinches, purplefinches, mallard ducks, bobwhite quails, Carolina chickadees, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, white-throated sparrows, towhees, Carolina wrens, squirrels, and chipmunks eat the seeds of sweetgum trees. Beavers use the wood for constructing dams. Other: Liquidambars are valued for their timber and for the aromatic sap, called styrax. The timber provides pulp, veneer and lumber. The wood is used in cabinetry, home interiors, boxes and utensils. The balsamic sap is used as an ingredient in both medicine and perfume. USDA, NRCS, National Plant Materials Center

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description

General: Sweetgum is a deciduous tree that is a member of the Hamamelidaceae, or witch-hazel family. It is named after the sweet balsamic sap which, when exposed, hardens into a fragrant gum. The trees can reach 30 to 40 meters in height and spread from 15 to 20 meters. The mature bark is rough, deeply furrowed and grayish brown. Young twigs are rusty red and frequently develop wings of corky bark. The star-shaped leaves, somewhat resemble maple leaves, except that they are arranged alternately instead of opposite. The leaves are 18 cm wide with long, thin petioles (6-15mm). Actively growing leaves are fragrant when crushed. They are palmate in shape with five to seven lobes and saw-toothed margins. Glossy-green in summer, the leaves turn bright yellow to deep red in the fall. The undersides of the leaves are pale green with a coating of fine white hairs. The small, greenish inconspicuous flowers have no true petals. The woody, ball-shaped, pendulous, burr-like fruits (3-4 cm) contain numerous, small seeds (1 cm) that are winged at one end. The seeds are contained in beak-like capsules to protrude from the surface (1 to 2 per capsule). Distribution: Sweetgum is common in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont sections of the Southeastern United States. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Habitat: Sweetgum trees occur in moist or wet woods, tidal swamps, along streambanks, in clearings and old fields, and in low swampy bottomlands where they often form pure stands.

Establishment

Sweetgum is a hardy, ornamental tree that is valued for its shade as well as its lumber, They make attractive specimen trees all year and especially in the fall when the leaves turn brilliant colors before dropping in the fall, Young trees transplant best in the spring into well-watered soils, The roots are slow to develop, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Sweetgum., The trees may be planted in sun or part shade in soils that are medium to well drained and of medium to high fertility, The trees need medium to high moisture availability and are not suitable for dry areas, New trees volunteer readily from the seeds, however they generally do not germinate until the second year, The seeds are ripe when the fruit begins to lose its green color, Spread the fruits out to dry, When dry, they will open and release the seeds, Germination can be considerably increased if the seeds are prechilled for 15 to 90 days,

Management

The trees are relatively trouble-free and generally do not require pruning. The fruits can look somewhat messy in fall and winter when they drop, especially onto a manicured lawn where they can also make mowing difficult. Avoid planting near a patio or sidewalk where the fruits can be painful when stepped on with bare feet. Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) These plant materials are readily available from commercial sources. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources

Conservation

Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

References

Bailey, L.H. & E.Z. Bailey 1976. Hortus Third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. Simon and Schuster Macmillan Co., New York, New York. 1290 pp. Banks, W.H. 1953. Ethnobotany of the Cherokee Indians. Master of Science Thesis, University of Tennessee, Tennessee. 216 pp. Barbour, M.G., & W.D. Billings, Editors 2000. North American terrestrial vegetation, Second Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 708 pp. Chapman, A.W. 1883. Flora of the Southern United States: Flowering Plants and Ferns. Second Edition. J. Wilson and Son, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 698 pp. Dirr, M.A. 1997. Dirr’s hardy trees and shrubs: an illustrated encyclopedia. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 493 pp. Dirr, M.A. 1998. Manual of woody landscape plants. Fifth Edition. Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Illinois. 1187 pp. Halfacre, R.G. & A.R. Showcroft 1979.

Landscape

plants of the Southeast. Sparks Press, Raleigh, North Carolina. 325 pp. Hamel, P.B. & M.U. Chiltoskey 1975. Cherokee plants and their uses: A 400-year history. Herald Publishing Company, Sylva, North Carolina. 65 pp. Kniffen, F.B., H.F. Gregory, & G.A. Stokes 1994. The historic Indian Tribes of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 324 pp. Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim & A.L. Nelson 1951. American wildlife and plants: A guide to wildlife food habits. Dover Publications, New York. 500 pp. Moerman, D.E. 1998. Native American ethnobotany. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 927 pp. Moerman, D.E. 1999. Native American

Ethnobotany

Database: Foods, drugs, dyes and fibers of native North American Peoples. The University of Michigan-Dearborn. [Online]. Available: http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb(19 June 2001). Rogers, D.J. & C. Rogers 1991. Woody ornamentals for Deep South gardens. University of West Florida Press, Pensacola, Florida. 296 pp. Speck, F.G. 1937. Catawba medicines and curative practices. Publications of the Philadelphia Anthropological Society 1: 179-197. Sturtevant, W.C. 1954. The Mikasuki Seminole: medical beliefs and practices. Doctoral Dissertation, Yale University. 538 pp.