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Hamamelidaceae - Witch-Hazel Family


Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweetgum)
This tree grows from 60 to 100 feet tall with a diameter of 1.5 to 3 feet.  The leaves are 3 to 6 inches, star-shaped, with 5 (sometimes 7) long-pointed, finely saw-toothed lobes and 5 main veins.  The leaves are alternate and have a resinous odor when crushed.  The bark is gray and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges.  The flowers are tine in greenish ball-like clusters in the spring.  The male flowers are in several clusters along a stalk.  The female flowers are in drooping clusters on the same tree.  The fruits are spiny and 1" to 1.25" in diameter.

This is an important timber tree.  It is second in production only to oaks among hardwoods.  It is used for furniture, cabinets, plywood, pulpwood, barrels, and boxes.  In pioneer days, a gum was obtained from the trunks by peeling the bark and scraping off the resin-like solid.  This gum was used medicinally as well as for chewing gum.

This tree is found in moist soils of valleys and lower slopes in mixed woodlands.  It is often found after logging, clearing, and in old fields.

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  • Home
  • Animals
    • Birds >
      • Avian Taxonomy
      • Bird Species Profiles
    • Mammal Species Profiles
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians >
      • Frog and Toad Species Profiles
    • Fish
    • Arthropods >
      • Arthropod Species Profiles
  • Plants
    • Native Plant Societies
    • Eastern Plant Identification Guide
  • Fungi
    • Fungi Species Profiles
  • Protists
  • Nature Products Store
  • Cell Phone Ringtones
  • Madbird Feeder Cam
  • Ramblings of the Madbird Biologist
  • Bird Videos
  • News in Science
  • Nature Inspired Recipes
  • An Introduction to Scientific Classification and Naming
  • Birds in the Classroom
  • Resources
  • About Me