American sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua
The embodiment of Indian summer.
This tree turns a beautiful red in the autumn.
The American sweetgum in a nutshell
- inhabits
- Eastern North America
- flowers
- from spring to autumn
- excels at
- stunning red colours
The tree
The American sweetgum is a deciduous tree with hand-shaped leaves. It typically grows to a height of 45 metres, but in Europe they generally only reach around 20 metres. The tree is best known and admired for the splendid colours of its foliage in autumn.
Sweet gum
The name ‘sweetgum’ arises from the resin the tree produces, which is used as a base ingredient for chewing gum and other foods in America. Due to its medicinal properties, First Nations people used the resin to treat wounds, skin ailments, digestive problems or colds. The gum was also burned to produce a fragrance.
Scattered by the wind
The American sweetgum reproduces by means of wind pollination. Specifically, the male flowers release large quantities of pollen into the air. This is captured by the many stigmas in the female flowers. Once fertilised, the female flower transforms into a hard, prickly fruit.
