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Portrait of Sweet gum

Nature · Trees

Sweet gum

Neophyte (introduced 1681) · deciduous to 25 m · parks, gardens and streets

Liquidambar styraciflua — Altingiaceae

A south-eastern North American tree, among the first American trees to reach Britain, grown at Bishop Compton's garden at Fulham after 1681. It is grown chiefly for its maple-like leaves, which turn orange, crimson and purple in autumn, and for the spiky seed balls that litter the ground. It is not invasive.

How to know it

Whole tree of Sweet gum
Whole tree Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 3.0
Leaf of Sweet gum
Leaf Jules Verne Times Two · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bark of Sweet gum
Bark Photo (c)2007 Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ) · GFDL 1.2

How to spot them

  • ▸Star-shaped leaves with five to seven pointed, finely toothed lobes, alternate on the twig, shiny green and aromatic when crushed
  • ▸Brilliant orange, red and purple autumn colour, long-lasting
  • ▸Spiky, hanging, round seed balls 3 to 4 cm across ("gumballs") that persist into winter
  • ▸Corky wings or ridges on the twigs
  • ▸Conical crown when young
  • ▸Look-alike: maples have opposite leaves; sweet gum leaves are alternate, star-shaped and resinous-scented.

How to know it

Star-shaped leaves, alternate not opposite, turn orange, crimson and purple in autumn on a tree that is not a maple

Sweet gum.

Spiky round fruit balls hang on long stalks and litter the ground beneath it into winter

Sweet gum.

Sent from Virginia in 1681 to Bishop Compton's garden at Fulham Palace

Sweet gum. John Banister.

Its crushed leaves smell resinous, and the tree yields a fragrant gum called storax

Sweet gum.

Corky ridges often run along its twigs, on a tall conical tree from the south-eastern United States

Sweet gum.

Its specific name means 'flowing with storax' in Latin

Sweet gum. Liquidambar styraciflua.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Liquidambar styraciflua — Liquidambar means liquid amber, for the fragrant resin; styraciflua means flowing with storax
  • •Family Altingiaceae (Hamamelidaceae in older classifications, and on the RHS site); native to south-eastern North America and Mexico
  • •Among the first American trees to reach Britain: sent by John Banister to Bishop Henry Compton, Fulham, in 1681
  • •RHS: shiny bright green star-like leaves turning orange, red, purple and yellow; grows to about 25 m
  • •Best colour in moist, neutral to acid soil in full sun
  • •RHS: generally pest-free; may be susceptible to honey fungus
  • •Cultivars include 'Worplesdon', 'Lane Roberts' and 'Gum Ball' (a compact form)
  • •Not invasive

Drill it — 6 cards

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Sources