Liquidambar styraciflua

Liquidambar styraciflua is used for pulp, fuel, and lumber; in cabinetry, home furnishings, furniture, boxes, crates, baskets and utensils, as well as railroad ties, fencing, plywood, and veneer. The plant was used medicinally. Its sap, once hardened, was used as a fragrant gum.

Photo Credit: © J.S. Peterson, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

Liquidambar styraciflua

Common Name: sweetgum

Plant Functional Group: Deciduous broadleaf

Class > Order > Family: Magnoliopsida > Saxifragales > Altingiaceae

What does the species look like?

Sweetgum is a deciduous tree growing 50 to 130 feet tall or more and with a trunk up to 3 to feet in diameter. Trees begin flowering at maturity at about 20 to 30 years old. The male and female flowers occur separately on the same tree and are wind-pollinated.

Sweetgum grows in moist to wet woods, tidal swamps, swampy bottomlands, streambanks, clearings and old fields, and mesic upland forests and forest edges. It grows best on the rich, moist soils of river bottomlands.

Where is the species found?

States & Provinces

AL, AR, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV

Special Considerations for Observing

If drought seems to be the cause of leaf color or fall for a plant, please make a comment about it for that observation.

This species has separate male and female flowers. If you know whether the flowers you are observing are male or female (or both), please make a comment about it for that observation.

Which phenophases should I observe?

	Do you see...?
Leaves	Breaking leaf buds One or more breaking leaf buds are visible on the plant. A leaf bud is considered "breaking" once a green leaf tip is visible at the end of the bud, but before the first leaf from the bud has unfolded to expose the leaf base at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem. More... How many buds are breaking? Less than 3 3 to 10 11 to 100 101 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 More than 10,000
	Leaves One or more live, unfolded leaves are visible on the plant. A leaf is considered "unfolded" once its entire length has emerged from a breaking bud, stem node or growing stem tip, so that the leaf base is visible at its point of attachment to the leaf stalk (petiole) or stem. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves. More... What percentage of the potential canopy space is full with leaves? Ignore dead branches in your estimate of potential canopy space. Less than 5% 5-24% 25-49% 50-74% 75-94% 95% or more
	Increasing leaf size A majority of leaves on the plant have not yet reached their full size and are still growing larger. Do not include new leaves that continue to emerge at the ends of elongating stems throughout the growing season. More... What percentage of full size are most leaves? Less than 25% 25-49% 50-74% 75-94% 95% or more
	Colored leaves One or more leaves show some of their typical late-season color, or yellow or brown due to drought or other stresses. Do not include small spots of color due to minor leaf damage, or dieback on branches that have broken. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves that remain on the plant. More... What percentage of the potential canopy space is full with non-green leaf color? Ignore dead branches in your estimate of potential canopy space. Less than 5% 5-24% 25-49% 50-74% 75-94% 95% or more
	Falling leaves One or more leaves with typical late-season color, or yellow or brown due to other stresses, are falling or have recently fallen from the plant. Do not include fully dried or dead leaves that remain on the plant for many days before falling. More...
Flowers	Flowers or flower buds One or more fresh open or unopened flowers or flower buds are visible on the plant. Include flower buds or inflorescences that are swelling or expanding, but do not include those that are tightly closed and not actively growing (dormant). Also do not include wilted or dried flowers. For Liquidambar styraciflua, the male inflorescence is an erect cone with several round clusters of petal-less flowers that are initially compact, but eventually grow looser and fluffier. The female inflorescence is a small globe with petal-less flowers that hangs below the branch. Once the female flowers wilt, the globe will turn brighter green as the fruits develop. More... How many flowers and flower buds are present? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), simply estimate the number of flower heads, spikes or catkins and not the number of individual flowers. Less than 3 3 to 10 11 to 100 101 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 More than 10,000
	Open flowers One or more open, fresh flowers are visible on the plant. Flowers are considered "open" when the reproductive parts (male stamens or female pistils) are visible between or within unfolded or open flower parts (petals, floral tubes or sepals). Do not include wilted or dried flowers. For Liquidambar styraciflua, the male flowers are open when the round clusters loosen, making the initially compact clusters appear fluffier. Female flowers are open when the pistils are visible, but will be difficult to see where they are out of reach. More... What percentage of all fresh flowers (buds plus unopened plus open) on the plant are open? For species in which individual flowers are clustered in flower heads, spikes or catkins (inflorescences), estimate the percentage of all individual flowers that are open. Less than 5% 5-24% 25-49% 50-74% 75-94% 95% or more
Fruits	Fruits One or more fruits are visible on the plant. For Liquidambar styraciflua, the fruit is a spiny dense globe of capsules that changes from green to dark brown, with each tiny capsule splitting open to expose the seeds. Do not include balls of empty capsules that have already dropped all of their seeds. More... How many fruits are present? Less than 3 3 to 10 11 to 100 101 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 More than 10,000
	Ripe fruits One or more ripe fruits are visible on the plant. For Liquidambar styraciflua, a fruit is considered ripe when it has turned dark brown and the capsules have begun to split open to expose the seeds. Do not include balls of empty capsules that have already dropped all of their seeds. More... What percentage of all fruits (unripe plus ripe) on the plant are ripe? Less than 5% 5-24% 25-49% 50-74% 75-94% 95% or more
	Recent fruit or seed drop One or more mature fruits or seeds have dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit. Do not include obviously immature fruits that have dropped before ripening, such as in a heavy rain or wind, or empty fruits that had long ago dropped all of their seeds but remained on the plant. More... How many mature fruits have dropped seeds or have completely dropped or been removed from the plant since your last visit? Less than 3 3 to 10 11 to 100 101 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 More than 10,000

What do these phenophases look like?

There is currently no photoguide available for this species. If you'd like help us create one, use the guidance document and species template provided here. Then send it via email to education@usanpn.org when it is complete.

ITIS information for sweetgum (ITIS TSN: 19027 )

USDA PLANTS profile for sweetgum (USDA Symbol: LIST2 )

Liquidambar styraciflua

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