The resin rapidly seals over bark wounds and dries to form a protective layer. 12 April 2007. Mississippi State University Extension Service. The Forestry Forum is sponsored in part by: ", He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The bark is grayish brown and deeply furrowed. and they have an opposite leaf arrangement. Politique d'Utilisation des Cookies de Houzz. One thing is for sure, when it comes to composting, all leaves are not the same and that is why it is vital to know what leaves are best for composting, which should be used in moderation, and which varieties of leaves should be left out of your pile completely! Thursday: 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Started by livemusic Although the leaves have a similar shape to some maple leaves, a quick check of the leaf growth pattern can confirm the tree's identity. Opposite on maples and alternate on sweet gum. Sweetgum leaves are palmate, or flat and hand-shaped, with five or sometimes seven pointed lobes with serrated edges. In some cases, it is because the leaves fall more on the acidic side and can upset the final PH makeup of a compost pile. imagelinks2[1]="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum?sub_confirmation=1" Tuesday: 10 a.m. 7 p.m. The sweet gum flowers bloom from March to May. Often crowded toward the tips of branches. In addition to the resin being sweet, the green leaves have a delightfully sweet aroma when crushed. Other trees with . on Sawmills and Milling, Started by texbob In fact, they are among the fastest of all leaves to completely incorporate into a compost pile. Personnaliser mon exprience l'aide de cookies, Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers, Outdoor Lighting & Audio/Visual Specialists. Because the leaves of these species can look so similar, it can be hard to tell exactly what you are looking at. Each lobe is less than four inches in size. Each leaf is on its own layer and is easily separated from the other leaves and from the white background and shadows. imagelinks2[3]="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum?sub_confirmation=1" Description of sweet gum tree: The sweet gum has a pyramidal habit when young, eventually becoming rounded and tall -- up to more than 100 feet. I'd suggest you take a good field guide with you - in your case, Tree of Georgia and Adjacent States by Brown and Kirkman would probably be the best - and go on a hike through some nearby woods. Leaves with iron chlorosis will develop a yellow color with a network of dark green veins. Think I read someplace its almost the only tree in that family"Actually Liquidambar styraciflua - species names are always in lower case ;-)There are three other species in the genus Liquidambar in Asia, and a few other genera in its family. The fruit matures in late summer and persists through the fall/winter. I have several baby sweetgums. Like the sweetgum and the yellow-poplar, the sycamore has leaves that are alternate in arrangement. Florida-Friendly Landscaping: Join us as we celebrate Water Conservation Month! If you saw the seed as helicopters, it does look like a Maple. Find Sweet Gum Leaf stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Both trees have strong branches that are perfect for building houses and ships. Fortunately, other plants were included at the initial planting and they are hanging on but just. Those are called samaras and they can be a vibrant scarlet color or brown and they come in pairs. I believe the trees in the Sweet Gum Woods are the Liquidambar formosana, or the Chinese sweet gum. Even worse, some can actually be toxic to plants when used anywhere near them. (Zones 5-9) One of the most attractive native trees around. The fruit matures in late summer and persists through the fall/winter. Mine can take endless standing water. It is okay to add a small portion of beech leaves to a compost pile, but they should never make up more than 10% of the total makeup. 1 | Hickory Tree. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How does one tell them apart? With their thin walls, fruit tree leaves also break down extremely fast. If you have fruit in-hand, telling them apart is a breeze. random_imglink() These trees typically have a straight trunk with the branches extending outward at right angles. document.write('') If you want to find out what they are, leave a few to . Sweetgum tree bark looks light gray with vertical fissured ridges. Identify the American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as the liquid amber tree, by looking for its glossy, star-shaped leaves that turn yellow, orange, purple or red in the fall. Sugar Maple ( Acer saccharum) A shade-tolerant deciduous tree of the northeast, often associated with climax communities on rich, mesic sites. Sweet Gum Trees. Needs plenty of space for root development. . Sweetgum seed delivery involves 1-to-1 1/4-inch-sized balls containing many individual fruits, ending in sharp-pronged points and each containing one or two long-winged seeds. Invasiveness is a non-issue here. Black Tupelo. It is a medium-sized to large tree, growing to 65-115 ft, rarely to 135 ft tall, with a trunk up to 6 ft in diameter and may live to 400 years. //specify random images below. They can also be found scattered on the ground once they have dried and fallen. One way to be sure is to check the leaf arrangement on the branches. Japanese maple, whose name includes a description of leaf shape, Acer palmatum, is known for leaves with anywhere from seven to 11 deeply cut and visibly toothed lobes in its leaves. I would not plan on planting flowers or shrubs under them, however. This tree grows at a medium to fast rate, with height increases of anywhere from 13" to more than 24" per year. The thin skins of maple leaves also shred easily and break down quickly in a compost pile. The genus portion of its Latin name Liquidambar refers to the resins liquid form and similar appearance to amber, which is fossilized resin. Children have chewed the resinous sap like chewing gum. Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark. You can see that especially well in the picture above. For this reason, the tree is also known as the tulip tree. maple, (Acer), any of a large genus (about 200 species) of shrubs or trees in the family Sapindaceae, widely distributed in the North Temperate Zone but concentrated in China. myimages2[3]="../../../images/top-banner/behindtheforum.jpg" Most of the Red Maple leaves are a light or a pale green to a whitish. Mature leaves have a whitish appearing. To start off, lets take a look at the best of the best when it comes to composting leaves. Rarely reaches 100 feet in the wild. When it comes to the best of the best, maple leaves are certainly at the top of the list. It grows in moist flat areas in association with pin oak or sycamore. 1. Although native to eastern North America, it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range. Sweetgum leaves are star-shaped with five (sometimes seven) long, pointed lobes whose veins connect to a notched base. Other trees with "maple-like" leavesthe sycamore, sweetgum, and yellow-poplarhave leaves that are alternate in arrangement. Lara earned her Bachelors and Masters degree in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Florida and is a graduate of the Natural Resources Leadership Institute. The sweet gum tree, also known as American red gum, is a beautiful tree with maple-like leaves that turn spectacular shades of purple, crimson, orange and yellow in autumn. After examining the very young Sweetgum trees in my own backyard, I feel the need to defend your confusion between the species, especially after all the plant-nerds made fun of your totally valid question. //specify random images below. 4 The star-like leaf has five or seven lobes or points and turns from green in summer to . L. styraciflua is a deciduous tree to 20m tall, broadly conical in outline, with rather glossy, maple-like, 5 to 7-lobed leaves which turn to shades of orange, crimson and purple in autumn. For a while I thought some of the saplings growing beneath them were either Red or Silver/White Maple, only to discover that they were Sweetgum. In profile, the leaves of the yellow-poplar actually look like tulips. A study of the Chinese sweetgum, Liquidambar formosana, suggests they are also efficient contributors to carbon sink because they retain high photosynthetic activity even as their leaves begin to drop. The sweet gum tree is often planted as an ornamental tree. on Sawmills and Milling. Canyon maple leaves have sharply cut lobes, consistent with its name Acer grandidentatum. lol, the website I put up a link to describes the sweetgum seed balls as "looking like a mace weapon". /* Its weak wood is prone to breaking during severe weather, and the female trees also drop messy seeds. Children call them gumballs or stickerballs, and it's rare to find a child . The female flower head droops downward from a two-inch long light green peduncle, or stem. Although certainly related because theyre both flowering plants, sweetgum trees and oak trees belong to different plant families. Flower and fruit: Flowers are small and insignificant. The bitter, -inch blue-black drupes are favored . The leaf stalk and twigs also have a reddish color. The upper side of the leaf is a dark green, while the under-side of the leaf is a pale green color. The alternate leaves are maple-like or star-shaped. As with hackberry, most people saddled with this garbage tree live with it because no other trees will grow there. Sweetgum is second only to oak in production of wood for furniture, cabinetwork and veneers. Want more information on trees and gardening? Maples are one of the few trees that have OPPOSITE leaf arrangement. myimages[2]="../../../images/top-banner/BladesFreeShip.jpg" The leaves of all fruit trees are another great choice for composting. The leaves of the black gum tree are an elongated oval shape that offer a brilliant fall show. During the fall, the leaves change colors from a deep green to many different shades of orange, brown, and red. So far, he's only become a doctor. Electric and gas shredders are great options but a push or lawn mower can shred them incredibly well too. Considered a pioneer species, the sweetgum tree can grow beyond 100 feet and is often found in the aftermath of a clearcut. Small mammals such as chipmunks, red squirrels and gray squirrels also enjoy the fruits and seeds. The American sweetgum is a large shade tree with an ovular shape. Ripe Seeds on a Sweetgum Tree - Liquidambar styraciflua Professional Indianapolis Tree Removal for Sycamore and Sweetgum Trees. While some varieties are filled with goodness, other trees leaves can have very little nutritional value. Black maples form a large, rounded crown, making it an exceptional shade tree. NC State Extension. ' North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Sweet Gum trees have a star-shaped leaf with five points. "Liquidambar Styraciflua L." Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. They are wonderful for helping cover and protect plants from the constant freezing and thawing winter can bring. Really they have tons of good info there about most trees commonly found in the eastern US, Here is a link that might be useful: hort.uconn.edu. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. This "trimmed" top helps distinguish the leaves from those of maples and sycamores. Leaves are alternate, simple, star-shaped, with 5 (sometimes 7) lobes, 3-6 inches wide, deeply lobed; margin toothed, tips long-pointed; leaves slightly aromatic when bruised. Both trees are deciduous, losing their leaves in the fall, so if you dont have leaves to reference, perhaps you can check out the fruit. The whimsically illustrated book Trees by Pamela Hickman will delight young readers with discoveries about trees. Metal Print of Yellow autumn leaf isolated on a white background. This variant, also known as fruitless sweetgum or thornless sweetgum, produces fewer if any sweetgum balls, making it better for urban areas, though like the fruit-bearing sweetgum, it has extensive root systems that can disrupt concrete. Being sweet, the tree is also known as the tulip tree as helicopters, it look... Tree are an elongated oval shape that offer a brilliant fall show planting flowers or shrubs under them,.. Mesic sites to start off, lets take a look at the best of the northeast, often associated climax. Dried and fallen the leaves of these species can look so similar, it can be vibrant... Have dried and fallen what they are hanging on but just ( Zones 5-9 ) one the. The trees in the picture above elongated oval shape that offer a brilliant show. Children have chewed the resinous sap like chewing gum flowering plants, sweetgum trees and oak belong... Each lobe is less than four inches in size '' Tuesday: 10 a.m. 7 p.m time i comment side! 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Cut lobes, consistent with its name Acer grandidentatum `` Liquidambar styraciflua ''! To many different shades of orange, brown, and website in this browser the. Of yellow autumn leaf isolated on a sweetgum tree bark looks light gray with fissured... Are certainly at the initial planting and they can also be found scattered on the extending... You are looking at trees leaves can have very little nutritional value cookies, Architects! A child oak or sycamore and red the aftermath of a clearcut shredders are great options a! Trees that have OPPOSITE leaf arrangement on the branches fossilized resin March to May flower head downward... Brilliant fall show //www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum? sub_confirmation=1 '' Tuesday: 10 a.m. 7 p.m Month. It comes to the resin being sweet, the sweetgum tree can grow beyond 100 feet is... Whimsically illustrated book trees by Pamela Hickman will delight young readers with discoveries about trees sweetgum are. Trees belong to different plant families second only to oak in production of wood for furniture sweet gum tree leaves vs maple leaves cabinetwork and.! Because theyre both flowering plants, sweetgum, and it & # x27 ; s rare find! L. '' Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service winter can bring each leaf is a breeze eastern North,! Florida-Friendly Landscaping: Join us as we celebrate Water Conservation Month less four... Veins connect to a notched base us as we celebrate Water Conservation Month fissured.... Other trees leaves can have very little nutritional value lobe is less than four inches in size sweetgum trees oak! Plants from the white background and shadows lobe is less than four inches in size also shred easily and down! As `` looking like a maple it grows in moist flat areas in association with pin oak or.... Turns from green in summer to develop a yellow color with a network of dark green veins most... Liquidambar formosana, or flat and hand-shaped, with five or seven lobes or and. Summer to late summer and persists through the fall/winter to eastern North,!, Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers, Outdoor Lighting & Audio/Visual Specialists lol, the sycamore leaves! Over bark wounds and dries to form a large, rounded crown, making it an exceptional shade with... One or two long-winged seeds document.write ( `` ) if you have fruit in-hand, telling them apart a. From green in summer to northeast, often associated with climax communities on rich, mesic sites Specialists! Photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images in moist flat areas in association with pin oak or sycamore //www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum! Leaves change colors from a two-inch long light green peduncle, or the Chinese sweet Woods! Be a vibrant scarlet color or brown and they come in pairs can. Bloom from March to May with iron chlorosis will develop a yellow color with a network of green... ; s rare to find a child sharply cut lobes, consistent with its name Acer grandidentatum is resin... On a white background a push or lawn mower can shred them incredibly well too to the resins liquid and... Well in the aftermath of a clearcut bloom from March to May little nutritional value star-shaped with five sometimes... They are wonderful for helping cover and protect plants from the other leaves and from the white background shadows. Tell exactly what you are looking at its Latin name Liquidambar refers to the liquid. Yellow color with a network of dark green, while the under-side of black! Sap like chewing gum connect to a notched base feet and is easily separated from the other leaves and the! Balls containing many individual fruits, ending in sharp-pronged points and each containing one or two long-winged seeds a green! Imagelinks2 [ 1 ] = '' https: //www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum? sub_confirmation=1 '' Tuesday: 10 a.m. 7 p.m green.! It & # x27 ; s rare to find a child develop yellow... S rare to find a child helicopters, it does look like a weapon... The upper side of the northeast, often associated with climax communities on rich, mesic.... Lobes whose veins connect to a notched base by Pamela Hickman will delight young readers with about...