by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages
Altingiaceae > Liquidambar (sweetgum) | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 1 June 2009 Common statewide in North Carolina (though less widespread in the mountains). Although Sweetgum commonly grows in disturbed areas such as old fields and roadsides, it reaches its grandeur in bottomlands, flood plains, and other similar moist habitats where it can grow to 6 feet in diameter at breast height! | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 1 June 2009 Leaves are distinctively palmately lobed and nearly star-shaped. Recent taxonomic studies have resulted in splitting this genus out of the traditional Hamamalidaceae and into the Altingiaceae. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 8 Feb 2008 Twigs are often (but not always) adorned with corky wings. Sweetgum gets its common name from the fact that its sap used to be harvested as a source of chewing gum. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 8 Feb 2008 In winter, sweetgum is often easily recognized by the presence of persistent spiky balls of fruits. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 8 Feb 2008 Fruits are capsules with shiny angled seeds that are enjoyed by a variety of birds. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 22 Mar 2009 Springtime bud break! | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 29 Mar 2009 Immature flowers developing. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 Sapling | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 24 June 2009 In upland old fields Sweetgum is often a weedy, "pioneer" species, meaning it's one of the first tree species to become established in this area following a disturbance (like a fire, clearcut, hurricane, etc.). This is a pine forest that was thinned and burned a year before taking the photo. One year later, the understory is mostly sweetgum saplings. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 8 Feb 2008 Bark appearance is variable with age of tree. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Durham Co., NC 12 Sep 2012 They can be a large canopy tree in the bottomlands! | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 2 Nov 2012 Open-grown Sweetgum in fall color. | |
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) Orange Co., NC 2 Nov 2012 Fruits and fall color Sweetgum. |
Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.
Created on ... Feb 9, 2008 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com