Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)sweetgum collage of images

Function(s):
 Deciduous, screen hedge, shade tree, street tree
Dimensions:
 Height 75ft.  Width 50ft.
Growth rate:
 Moderate = 1 to 2 feet per year
Adaptation:
Statewide
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Soil drainage:
Poor to good
Sunlight:
Full sun to part shade
Leaves:
 Green in spring and summer, brilliant in fall (orange, purple, red, yellow)
Stems:
 Corky wings
Fruit:
 Sweetgum balls can become a nuisance and a hazard, especially when they land on sidewalks, patios, and roads. People can slip and fall on the fruit.
Pest problems:
Cultivar(s):
 The cultivar Rotundiloba’ is a fruitless form with pale yellow to muddy purple fall color—not as attractive as the species.
Invasive traits:
 None
Origin:
 New Jersey to Texas and Florida
Comments:

Sweetgum ball fruits provide food for wildlife, but they germinate readily and can sprout-up in planting beds.

sweetgum close up of leaves and fruitsweetgum fall leaves and fruit

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