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| ## sweetgum {#sweetgum .Title-Header}                                 |
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| *Liquidambar styraciflua* L.                                          |
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| Plant Symbol = LIST2                                                  |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

### 

### Alternate names

Sweet gum, American sweet gum, red gum, bilsted, star-leaved gum,
alligator-tree

### 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.

### 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. 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.

Swanson, R.E. 1994. *A field guide to the trees and shrubs of the
Southern Appalachians*. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore,
Maryland. 399 pp.

Taylor, L.A. 1940. *Plants used as curatives by certain Southeastern
Tribes*. Botanical Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts.

88 pp.

Tiner, R.W. 1993. *Field guide to coastal wetland plants of the
Southeastern United States*. University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst.
328 pp.

Whitcomb, C.E. 1983. *Know it and grow it, II: A guide to the
identification and use of landscape plants*. Lacebark Publications,
Stillwater, Oklahoma. 740 pp.

Young, J.A. & C.G. Young 1992. *Seeds of woody plants in North America*.
Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon. 407 pp.

### Prepared By

## Diana L. Immel

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o

Plant Sciences Department, University of California, Davis, California

### Species Coordinator

## M. Kat Anderson

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center, c/o Plant Sciences Department,
University of California, Davis, California

Edited: 04oct01 jsp; 21may03 ahv; 060802 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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