Liquidambar styraciflua

American sweetgum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Altingiaceae
Genus: Liquidambar
Species:
L. styraciflua
Binomial name
Liquidambar styraciflua
Natural range of L. styraciflua
Synonyms[2]
  • Liquidambar gummifera Salisb. nom. superfl.
  • Liquidambar barbata Stokes
  • Liquidambar macrophylla Oerst.
  • Liquidambar tuberculata Silba

American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as American storax,[3] hazel pine,[4] bilsted,[5] redgum,[3] satin-walnut,[3] star-leaved gum,[5] alligatorwood,[3] gumball tree,[6] or simply sweetgum,[3][7] is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweetgum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves (similar to maple leaves) and its hard, spiked fruits. It is currently classified in the plant family Altingiaceae, but was formerly considered a member of the Hamamelidaceae.[8]

  1. ^ Beech, E.; Crowley, D.; Rivers, M.C.; Wilson, B. (2018). "Liquidambar styraciflua". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T33966A67700725. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T33966A67700725.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Liquidambar styraciflua L. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 9 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Liquidambar styraciflua". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  4. ^ "hazel pine Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgum – Dizionario inglese-italiano WordReference". Wordreference.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b Small, J.K. (1933). Manual of the southeastern flora: being descriptions of the seed plants growing naturally in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, eastern Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-02-852410-1.
  6. ^ Nolan, Jessica; Expert, Gardening (14 April 2021). "Sweetgum Trees (Gumball Tree): Types, Leaves - Identification (Pictures)". Leafy Place. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  8. ^ Cafferty, Steve. "Taxonomy". Encyclopedia of Life. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 26 September 2012.