Sweetgum
Sweetgum is an ornamental in the Altingiaceae family. It grows best in full sun with medium moisture, and is listed for USDA zones 5-9.
Varieties
1 · sorted by days to maturity▸Sweetgum
PROPAGATION CATEGORY: Shade tree (seed) (not in original seed catalog). Use: Star-shaped leaves, brilliant fall color. Note: Drops spiky seed balls, fruitless cultivars available.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is a large shade tree with glossy star-shaped leaves and superb purple-red fall color; the spiky seed balls are a nuisance, so fruitless cultivars exist.
Growing notes: Botanical name: Liquidambar styraciflua|Hardiness zones: 5-9|Propagation: seed|Light: Full sun|Water: Medium|Mature size: 60-75 feet
Plan your sweetgum planting
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Growing timeline
Care & troubleshooting
No curated care & troubleshooting advice for sweetgum yet. Our extension-service library currently focuses on common edible crops; we're expanding it over time.