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Issue No. 136 - October 31, 2004
by Sue Sweeney
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Big, tall trees, towering giants: in the Northeast those words bring
quickly to mind oaks, horse chestnuts, tulips and sweet gums. The
American sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), a member of the
witch hazel family, is every inch a treasure: a tall, handsome,
fast-growing hardwood tree to shade a moist, sunny place, prized for its
commercially useful hardwood and gum, and beloved by many critters
including the (at least to me) elusive yellowed-bellied sap sucker. |
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Picture: The American sweet gum (Liquidambar
styraciflua) can’t be beat for fall color. First Presbyterian Church
Stamford, CT October 2004 |
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Our sweet gum has many common names. Some of the nicest ones are
redgum, alligator-wood, starleaf-gum, and satin walnut (the wood,
when dyed, resembles black walnut). The Latin “Liquidambar" means
“liquid amber” referring to the tree’s fragrant sap. The gum has
been used since Pre-Columbian times for flavoring and medicine.
Unlike the maples with their numerous cousins and cross-breeds,
which make identification as challenging as a Sunday NY Times
crossword puzzle, there are only two or three varieties of sweet
gums in the world – the American giant and an Asian cousin or two.
It’s easy to recognize our sweet gum in all seasons.
First, look for the round seed balls that look like Star
Wars’ battle stars. You’ll find the seed balls hanging on
sweet gum tree, and on the ground around the tree, most of
the year. The only other local tree with a similar seed ball
is the sycamore. Both seed balls are favorite boys’ toys,
prefect for throwing at each other and sticking down shirts.
In boys’ circles, the sycamore seeds are known as the “itchy
balls”, and the sweet gum seeds are the “sticky balls”. For
grown ups, the sweet gum seeds are great for dried
arrangements. Stepping on the seed balls, though, is a bit
painful, so it’s best to plant the trees away from paths
where people will be walking barefoot. |
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Picture: American sweet gum seeds
balls, First Presbyterian Church Stamford, CT October 2004
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Then, check the leaves. The 5- to 7-pointed star shape is
unmistakable, as is the glossy texture. The leaf color is
handsome from early spring through fall. Indeed, the tree is
often planted just for its outstanding fall color – a single
tree can cover the range from yellow to red to burgundy. |
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Pictures: sweet gums leaves First
Presbyterian Church Stamford, CT Summer 2004
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pictures: sweet gum leaves, First
Presbyterian Church Stamford, CT October 2004
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The sweet gum’s shape is also distinct. The young ones are
conical. The adults are tall, rounded, and spreading. The
big ones, from a distance, resemble maples in outline,
except they’re too tall to be maples. |
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Pictures: sweet gum tree form, First
Presbyterian Church Stamford, CT Summer 2004; Summer Street, Stamford CT
winter 2003 |
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The American sweet gum can be found along the Atlantic Coast
from Connecticut to Nicaragua. It’s also planted in Europe.
It likes full sun and grows tallest in the moist bottom
lands of the South. It’s the perfect tree to soak up extra
water in a damp place but give it lots of room. If you
should welcome one into your yard, or be lucky enough to get
one as a street tree, be advised that they can be overly
enthusiastic, so keep an eye on the seedlings. For those out
of the tree’s native range: don’t plant it as it can become
invasive in moist conditions in Zone 6 through 9. As far
as the critters go, the sweet gum has few pests and attracts
many of the good guys. Some of its friends are: cardinals,
chickadees, goldfinches, purple finches, mallard ducks,
bobwhite quails, sparrows, towhees, and mourning doves, all
of whom like the seeds and the habitat. Squirrels and
chipmunks also like the seeds; mice and rabbits are known to
browse the young stems.
According to the U.S. Forest Service (which seems to be
the Liz Smith of hot woodland gossip), beavers are partial
to the wood for constructing dams. Since few of us have
beavers lurking in the yard planning their next dam, this
should not put you off. However, don’t put a sweet gum too
close to the house, since the mature trees can drop big
limbs in winter storms. Sweet gums, when mature, will kill
the grass with their dense shade and shallow roots, so they
are best standing guard over the shade garden, cooling the
driveway and sidewalk, or at the pond’s or wood’s edge. The
only other consideration in site choice is that the trees
need neutral to slightly acid soil and, like the red maple,
will develop iron chlorosis of the foliage (leaf goes yellow
between the veins) if the soil is too alkaline. |
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Picture: Newly fallen sweet gum seeds balls in the snow at
the tree base, First Presbyterian Church Stamford, CT winter 2003 |
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Now, back to the yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Much of the
yellow-bellied sapsuckers’ summer range is north of the
sweet gums’ range. However, the sapsucker migrates in winter
all the way down to Central America, presumably drawn by
sweet gums all long the route. When I was a kid, I never
knowingly saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker but the name was
handy for insulting others at the playground. I never saw
one (off the playground, that is) ‘cause I was looking for
the wrong thing. I was expecting a large bird with a
strikingly yellow belly (duh!). However, the label misleads;
the belly is a bit yellowish but not strikingly so. Look
instead for a bird that looks like the hairy and downy
woodpeckers but is slightly larger with a white blaze down
the wing. Then, you will see lots of these guys, especially
during the spring and fall migrations.
Even if you don’t see any, you will know that the
yellow-bellied sapsuckers have been around by the parallel
rows of little square holes in the sweet gum’s bark. These
sneaky guys drill rows of holes, then return, time and
again, to drink the oozing sap and the scarf up the insects
attracted by the sap. The yellow-bellied sapsuckers are said
to come equipped with brush-like tongues particularly useful
for this purpose. |
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