Sunday, November 05, 2006

Liquidambar styraciflua - American Sweetgum


- American Sweetgum is a really tall native tree that grows relatively fast in moist soil. The foliage is dark green in the summers and in the fall the colors range from purple - red - yellow. The fruit of this tree comes in a prickly capsule and its not fun to step on them with bare feet - ouch!
The wood is used for plywood and the name comes from the sweet and gummy sap.