Sweetgum pdf
Liquidambar styraciflua
Family:  Hamamelidaceae

Habit: Pyramidal when young, rounded at maturity.
Height 60-75’

Hardiness: Zones 5-9

Leaves: Alternate, simple, 4 to 7.5” wide and about as high, star shaped leaves with 5 to 7 finely serrate lobes. Leaves are medium green in summer and orange, purple, red or yellow in autumn.

Bark: Grayish brown, deeply furrowed into narrow, somewhat rounded ridges.

Flowers: Flower color: green; yellow
Flower characteristics: inconspicuous and not showy; spring flowering.

Fruit: Long-stemmed, woody and bur-like; approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Landscape Value:  Lawn, park, or street tree but needs large area for root development

How It Will Do in Colorado:  Site Requirements: Sun to partial shade; dry to moist soil. Most vigorous in moist sites.
Growth Rate: Medium to fast
The Colorado State Champion Sweetgum (DBH 17”/Height 57’) is located in Fort Collins. Please refer to the Colorado Tree Coalition's Fort Collins Notable Tree Tour for its location.

Insects and Diseases:  Iron chlorosis can be a problem on high pH soils, sweetgum webworm, sweetgum scale, caterpillars, walnut scale, bleeding necrosis, leaf spots

Cultivars:  Many

Interesting Features:  Fruit of this tree can be both a good identification feature and quite messy.

Information Sources:
     Michael Dirr “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants”. 1990
     Photo Credits:
     Forestry Images website
     Cirrus image website