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. Tree size: This slow-growing tree attains a height of 30 to 50 feet and a width of 20 to 30 feet. Sweet Gum trees have a star-shaped leaf with five points. Sweetgum: An Ancient Source of Beneficial Compounds with Modern Benefits.Pharmacognosy Reviews, vol. Sweet-gum (1645-23*1) is in the . He/she thanked people for their help. While birds love the fruit of mulberry treesa phenomenon that will also cause unwanted messes in your yardwe must admit that we do not. Aside from the recognizable star-shaped leaves with serrated edges on long petioles, there are other distinctive traits that makes this tree easy to identify. It doesn't take much for a wind storm to blow in a batch from a tree across the highway. This tree is often planted in parks where its height, ranging from 70-120 feet, and sprawling branches, spreading 40-50 feet, create shade for visitors. imagelinks2[1]="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum?sub_confirmation=1" The female flower head droops downward from a two-inch long light green peduncle, or stem. Alice Slusher Replied September 07, 2015, 12:59 PM EDT. Scientific name of sweet gum tree: Liquidambar Styraciflua. Categories Blog, Compost, Fall Garden And Landscape, Lawn and Landscape Care, How To Get Your Rose Bushes Ready For Winter Fall Rose Bush Care. Sweetgum leaves are palmate, or flat and hand-shaped, with five or sometimes seven pointed lobes with serrated edges. Red maple leaves are more toothed, while the lobes on sugar maples have smoother edges. "differences betwen sweetgun and maple?". Where the bark is not smooth, it is usually rough and flaky, resembling a layer of broken scales. My front yard is a blazing glory thanks to the sweetgums in mine and my neighbors yards5 altogether. Think I read someplace its almost the only tree in that family. Houzz utilise des cookies et d'autres technologies de suivi similaires pour personnaliser mon exprience utilisateur, me proposer du contenu pertinent et amliorer ses produits et services. Mine can take endless standing water. Leaves are alternate, simple, oval-elliptical, and lack teeth. Fall color can be quite dramatic, with a combination of yellows, reds, and . Manna Gum Tree, the bark peels off in strips. 5. The upper side of the leaf is a dark green, while the under-side of the leaf is a pale green color. ;-)his reply addressed the question about surface roots (in an area with similar growing conditions to the one of the poster) and the comments accurately describe the sweetgums at the wooded perimeter of my yard; ripples of large, exposed roots extending out a long way from the trunk. The ceremonial planting of the first three trees occurred near the Flight 93 National Memorials visitor shelter and memorial walk in 2011. In fact, it is one of the most pH-tolerant of all trees, thriving equally well in acid or alkaline conditions. When you cut into the trunk, you see the wood is light, fine-textured, and uniform. Thank you for visiting the blog. Luo, Zidong, et al. Btw, 9 years ago when the question was originally asked Chueh didn't appear to feel fun was being made by 'plant nerds'. Alternate being that if you were to play connect the dots from where the leaf comes off the stem along the length of the stem, you would end up with a zigzag pattern. This iconic tree is easy to identify, in large part because of its distinctive leaves and notable fruit. Red Cap Gum Tree, red helmet gum. The maple is a genus with about 128 different species, including the vine maple (Acer circinatum), hornbeam maple (Acer carpinifolium), and paperbark maple (Acer griseum). Although certainly related because theyre both flowering plants, sweetgum trees and oak trees belong to different plant families. Be sure to also visit our Treesources page to learn about local trees, caring for trees, and more. Look for the star-shaped leaf as foliage grows in the spring, and note the dried seed balls under the tree. Maple leaves have higher levels of nitrogen and calcium, which of course, are both perfect for plants, and a compost pile. The leaves of sweet gum are palmate like maple but the fruits are quite different. 7, no. Latin Name Acer then something or other. Each leaf is on its own layer and is easily separated from the other leaves and from the white background and shadows. Its shape is pyramidal, becoming more rounded with age. This toxin can make quick work of vegetable garden plants as well as many flowering annuals and perennials. However, they were identified as sweetgums. Once it has found a suitable location, it burrows into the soil to pupate through the Winter. myimages2[2]="../../../images/top-banner/behindtheforum.jpg" Vector illustration. The bark is grayish brown and deeply furrowed. 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. The seeds are dispersed by the wind, birds, or animals. 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. The conspicuous one not mentioned yet, is that maples have their leaves in opposite pairs, whereas sweetgums have leaves alternately ('zig-zag') along the stems. They are wonderful for helping cover and protect plants from the constant freezing and thawing winter can bring. The brownish-grey bark is deeply furrowed with narrow scaly ridges. They are typically grown as ornamental trees, and sycamore wood is used to make furniture, boxes, and crates. Leaves of the mountain maple, Acer spicatum, on the other hand, have shallow lobes, more discernible in leaf veins rather than leaf shape. With that in mind, todays article is all about knowing which of those falling leaves are good for composting, and which are best to use in moderation, or not at all. 12 April 2007. Needs plenty of space for root development. Leaves are typically greenish-yellow and sometimes orange. Moraine sweet-gum (Liquidambar styraciflua 'Moriane'): . The black-tipped red horns give this caterpillar a menacing appearance, but it is harmless. on Forestry and Logging, Started by terrifictimbersllc Our Sweet Gum tree is located on the edge of Bayne Park along North Balph Avenue near the flagpole. Provides brilliant fall color, with leaves turning vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red and purple. 17, 2015, pp. Spiky gumballs are another identifying feature of sweetgum trees. Leaves: The leaves of the Red Maple are very roughly toothed with 3-5 shallow lobes. The more lignin that is present, the harder it is to break down the material. Because of their beautiful coloring, maples are often grown as ornamental trees. Leaves turn yellow-purple-red in the fall, and stay on the tree quite late. Sweet gum is a large tree with a long, cylindrical trunk, pyramidal crown, and corky wings on branches and twigs. Maple Leaves. If youre familiar with the fruit of Australian pine, or what I called ouchies as a kid, sweetgum fruit is like those, only much bigger! Learn more about all the Trees of Bayne Park and explore our Interactive Bayne Park Tree Map to see the locations, photographs, and names of over a dozen different species of trees. It has become a prized specimen in parks, campuses, and large yards across the country. They can also easily be incorporated into garden and flowerbed soil to help recharge depleted nutrient levels. Maples are among the most shade-tolerant deciduous trees and thrive in areas with cooler temperate climates such as Canada and the northern United States. Some species of maple have reddish-purple bark; it has distinct ridges and is hard to distinguish from the trees branches. View Map. In the fall, their leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow and red. You can also note that the underside of red maple leaves are much lighter in color, almost white, compared to the underside of sweetgum leaves. Growing sweet gum tree: Transplant when young -- the sweet gum resents root disturbance when it matures. They range in color from green to yellow to deep red. Especially when you consider they are completely free for the taking. Sweetgum fruit is a round, spikey and woody ball of capsules that is about one to one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Both are hardwoods, much prized by furniture makers. Sweet Gum trees present a long-lasting kaleidoscopic display in the . Like maple leaves, they also have low levels of lignin. document.write('') Most of the Red Maple leaves are a light or a pale green to a whitish. Invasiveness is a non-issue here. 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. Bark is brown to gray, very rough with deep grooves and narrow, slightly scaly ridges. Although the leaves of the Ginkgo tree do not contain any harmful ingredients to plants, they are extremely waxy. Their fall color lasts much longer than most other trees. Other great leaf varieties for composting are poplar, ash, willow, cherry, black cherry and elm tree leaves. The tree is not toxic to dogs and cats, but the seedpods do present a different type of health threat if your pet were to step on one. mexicana. imagelinks2[3]="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheForestryForum?sub_confirmation=1" Sweetgum trees are easy to recognize. Mature trees often have corky bark that protrudes from the smaller branches and twigs giving them a winged appearance. In the late Summer it leaves the tree and wanders on the ground. 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. Maple trees have shiny dark green leaves that are oval-shaped with uneven edges. Many of us are familiar with the fruit of red maple, but perhaps just didnt know what tree it came from. Both male flowers and female flowers occur on the same tree, appearing as the leaves emerge in the Spring. Maple samaras are more easily trod on, flat-winged pods each containing a single-seed fruit. Although they can be composted, they should be used in moderation. ry=1 Here is a link that might be useful: Invasive sweetgum. Illustration uses linear gradients. With their thin walls, fruit tree leaves also break down extremely fast. American sweetgum seeds are eaten by eastern goldfinches, purple finches, sparrows, mourning doves, northern bobwhites and wild turkeys. Maples constitute one of the most important groups of ornamentals for planting in lawns, along streets, and in parks. The major maples have leaves that are divided into three to five lobes. Chlorosis can show an a few leaves, an individual branch, half of the crown, or the entire tree. In winter, and all year round, for the most part, mature trees still have a few sweetgum balls hanging about the branches here and there. function random_imglink(){ 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! Small mammals such as chipmunks, red squirrels and gray squirrels also enjoy the fruits and seeds. While some varieties are filled with goodness, other trees leaves can have very little nutritional value. Some people refer to these leaves as having a "star" form or a maple-like silhouette. . ry=1 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. :)Sherry, The original title question . Over 200+ free JavaScripts here! The tiny seeds of the Sweet Gum are eaten by many species of birds, including goldfinch, purple finch, sparrows, mourning doves, squirrels, and chipmunks. It is often used in landscaping and in the production of honey. This tree: Features star-shaped leaves with 5 lobes (occasionally 7) that are lustrous medium green in color, toothed along the margins and 47 in length. Sycamores are often found in humid continental climates, especially in wetlands and areas near rivers and streams. 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 same sweetgum Liquidambar styrachiflua can be found throughout the eastern half of the U.S., growing from southern Connecticut and Illinois in the north down through the Deep South states as far west as Texas. 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. Elm leaves alternate along two sides of the stem. Sweet Gums grow quite tall- 75 ft. Folks who've known me for the 10-12 years I've been a regular here will notice that I've softened my stance on sweetgums. Blue Gum Tree, common eucalyptus tree. Description : Sweet gum is a large tree with a long, cylindrical trunk, pyramidal crown, and corky wings on branches and twigs. The sweet gum flowers bloom from March to May. . Her work focuses on wildlife, water, and general environmental education. Each leaf blade has three lobes, with a broad, triangular lobe in the center. Want more information on trees and gardening? Yellow-poplar leaves are flat and slightly lobed and appear to be trimmed across the top, with two deeper lobes on either side of the midrib (the primary rib or central vein).