Is Liquidambar Styraciflua poisonous?

Sweet gum trees bloom with inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers in the spring that turn to seedpods — which are often called gumballs — in the fall. 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.

Are Liquidambar roots invasive?

Roots are known to be invasive, often protruding above soil level within the dripline or much, much further! These roots may crack concrete and disturb structures, and are commonly damaged by lawn mowers. Never remove a Liquidambar without consulting a professional!

What does Liquidambar smell like?

Liquidambar smells very sweet (it is, after all, called “sweet gum”) and has distinctly golden honey-like and resinous notes as well as some “industrial solvent”-like notes, probably due to the resin’s styrene content. If combined with other materials, these odd “industrial” notes disappear.

Is Liquidambar an evergreen?

Liquidambar is a small genus of large deciduous trees although we offer a narrow columnar version ideal for small gardens.

Is Liquidambar a maple?

Resembling the maple leaf in shape, the leaves of Liquidambar species are palmately lobed and arranged spirally on the twigs, and variegated cultivars are available.

Can you prune a Liquidambar tree?

Liquidambar isn’t a tree you should prune, unless you haven’t any other choice. Pruning isn’t recommended. Eliminate dead, weak and damaged branches regularly when you notice them.

How do you prune Styraciflua Liquidambar?

Pruning After Planting At the time of planting, you should only prune liquidambar to remove damaged twigs. These branches should be pruned back to the trunk. As the young tree grows over the next three to four years, prune it into the desired shape through light pruning in late winter.

Are sweet gum trees invasive?

Sweetgum trees are considered pioneer trees. These are trees that can become invasive in an area because they take root easily from seeds and grow quickly, often excluding all other plants in the area. It’s best to plant them in maintained areas where you’ll be cleaning up the seed pods.

Is Liquidambar fast growing?

Liquidambar ‘Worplesdon’ is a selected variety of sweet gum chosen for its reliability in producing fiery shades of red, orange and yellow in the autumn (although autumn colour is variable year to year due to number of factors). It is fairly fast growing tree with an even, upright, conical habit.

Can you prune a Liquidambar?

Pruning liquidambar Liquidambar isn’t a tree you should prune, unless you haven’t any other choice. Pruning isn’t recommended. Eliminate dead, weak and damaged branches regularly when you notice them.

Is Liquidambar an Acer?

This large, deciduous tree is often mistaken for maple as the foliage is similar in appearance with 5-7 pointed, palmate lobes. However, the leaves of Liquidambar are arranged alternately on stems whereas the leaves of Acer species are opposite each other.

How big does a Liquidambar Gumball tree get?

Cultivar of Liquidambar styraciflua, growing into a dense, multi-stemmed shrub, but is usually grafted on a .6-1.8 m long standard, forming a small ‘lollipop’ tree with a dense, rounded canopy. Mid green, maple-like leaves to about 12 cm long.

Where to find Liquidambar styraciflua in North Carolina?

Liquidambar styraciflua, or Sweetgum, is a large. valuable, forest tree frequently found in wet river bottoms, in swamps that frequently flood, and on drier uplands (except the high mountains) throughout North Carolina. It is often the bane of some homeowner’s existence because of its troublesome fruit.

Where did the name Liquidambar styraciflua come from?

The earliest known published record of Liquidambar styraciflua is in a work by Spanish naturalist Francisco Hernández published posthumously in 1615, in which he describes the species as a large tree producing a fragrant gum resembling liquid amber, whence the genus name Liquidambar.

How big does a Liquidambar styraciflua tree get?

Liquidambar styraciflua is a medium-sized to large tree, growing anywhere from 50–70 feet (15–21 m) in cultivation and up to 150 feet (46 m) in the wild, with a trunk up 2–3 feet (0.61–0.91 m) in diameter, on average.