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Tree · Altingiaceae Draft — unreviewed

Sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua L.

Also called sweetgum.

Star-leaved shade tree with long-lasting mixed purple, red and gold fall colour. Spiny seed balls are its main drawback.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 18–23 m (59–75 ft) tall and 12–15 m (39–49 ft) wide; medium growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the BB-2in install size.

05101520mPlanting3.4 × 1.5 mYear 312.4 × 7.8 mYear 1019.1 × 12.5 mMature20.5 × 13.5 m

Design notes

  • Keep fruiting forms away from patios, walks and lawns; 'Rotundiloba' is a largely fruitless cultivar.
  • Surface roots are common in shallow or compacted soils.

Regions

Native range: Southeastern U.S., north to southern New York and Connecticut.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

NortheastSoutheast

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Red maple
Acer rubrum · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum · Tree · 15–22 m (49–72 ft)
Downy serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea · Tree · 5–8 m (16–26 ft)
River birch
Betula nigra · Tree · 12–18 m (39–59 ft)
American hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)
Eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis · Tree · 6–9 m (20–30 ft)

Plan with Sweetgum

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden