Common Name: Sweet Gum

General Information

Liquidambar styraciflua is a large deciduous tree that can grow up to 40 metres tall. The crown is often tall and spire-like, though it can become rather broadly pyramidal and even somewhat rounded in age[]. The straight bole can be 1 metre or more in diameter[].
A multipurpose tree, valued especially for the gum it yields which has a variety of medicinal, edible and other uses. A high quality timber is also obtained from the tree. A highly ornamental plant, especially in its autumn foliage[, ], it is often grown in gardens, parks etc.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Central America - Honduras and El Salvador, north through Mexico, southern N. America north to Connecticut and Illinois.

Habitat

Swampy woods which are often inundated annually[] and on rich bottom lands[]. Moist or wet, often mixed forest, mostly on mountain sides or along streams, often associated with pine or oak, at elevations from 900 - 2,100 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Liquidambar styraciflua is a tree with a wide environmental range, being found as far north as Connecticut in N. America and south to El Salvador and Honduras in Central America. It is mainly, but not exclusively, found at elevations above 1,000 metres in the south of its range, but with some specimens succeeding down to 450 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 34°c, but can tolerate 5 - 38°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -11°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 800 - 2,500mm[].
Prefers a moist but not swampy loam in a sunny sheltered position[, ]. Another report says that the plant can tolerate salt-laden winds[]. Succeeds in light shade[]. Prefers a neutral to acid soil[]. Plants grow poorly in shallow soils overlying chalk[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 - 8.5[].
Trees commence flowering when about 20 - 25 years old[].
Trees are not very resistant to forest fires[].
The leaves emit a balsam-like fragrance when they fall in the autumn, this is retained until the leaves are quite withered[].
Plants in the north of their range do not produce much resin[], yields being best in Central America[].
Resists honey fungus[].
This species resents root disturbance, young plants should be pot-grown and be placed in their permanent positions as soon as possible[].

Edible Uses

A chewing gum and a stabilizer for cakes etc is obtained from the resin[, , , ]. It can also be chewed to sweeten the breath[].

Medicinal

A resin obtained from the trunk of the tree (see 'Uses notes' below) is antiseptic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, parasiticide, poultice, salve, sedative, stimulant, vulnerary[, , , , , , , , , ]. It is chewed in the treatment of sore throats, coughs, asthma, cystitis, dysentery etc[, , ]. Externally, it is applied to sores, wounds, piles, ringworm, scabies etc[, ].
The resin is an ingredient of 'Friar's Balsam', a commercial preparation based on Styrax benzoin that is used to treat colds and skin problems[].

The mildly astringent inner bark is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and childhood cholera[].

The leaves are added to bathes as a soothing and healing application for the skin[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing and long lived tree, it is fairly free from pests and diseases and has the potential to be a re-forestation tree in cutover lands[].
Leaf decay improves soil by increasing the activity of soil microflora and building up the humus layer[].

Other Uses

The aromatic resin 'Storax' is obtained from the trunk of this tree[, , , ]. It forms in cavities of the bark and also exudes naturally. It is harvested in autumn[, ]. Production can be stimulated by beating the trunk in the spring[, ]. The resin has a wide range of uses including medicinal, incense, perfumery, soap and as an adhesive[, ]. It is also chewed and used as a tooth cleaner[].

The heartwood is brown or reddish brown, the sapwood nearly white[]. The wood is heavy, fairly hard, fine-grained, not strong, light, tough, resilient. It weighs about 37lb per cubic foot[]. The wood is sometimes beautifully figured with dark markings; it has a satiny lustre; takes a high polish and can be stained then used as a cherry, mahogany or walnut substitute[, ]. It is also used for furniture, flooring, fruit dishes, veneer etc[, , , , ].
The wood is used locally for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of early autumn or late autumn, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. Stored seed requires 1 - 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years to germinate. Sow it as early in the year as possible. Germination rates are often poor. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first winter. Since they resent root disturbance, it is best to plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of their second year and give them some protection from cold for their first winter outdoors[].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.
Suckers in early spring.
Layering in autumn. Takes 12 months.