The American sweetgum, Liquidambar styracifluaare, is native to the southeastern United States. It is very common in the Douglasville, Georgia area. As the name suggests, the tree produces a gum and it can be used for chewing- but it is fragrant and mildly bitter, and not sweet as the given name suggests. It is called sweetgum to distinguish it from the black gum (or sour gum) tree, which is extremely sour and bitter. The sweetgum is a member of the witch-hazel family, and has a history of much medicinal use by Indians, settlers and Civil War soldiers. It is one source of shikimic acid from which tamiflu is made. Tincture of benzoin is also derived from the sweetgum. Yet other medical uses are being investigated. The 
sweetgum is a medium-sized to large deciduous hardwood, valued for its lumber. It is also valued as an ornamental, especially in fall when the leaves turn red. This useful tree has many distinctive and interesting characteristics, making it easy to identify.
One characteristic of sweetgums is the distinctive sweetgum ball fruit. They are produced from pollinated female flowers which are catkins. The inconspicuous male and female catkins are found on the same tree, males spreading upward and the females drooping below. The female catkins expand to form green spiny balls, and continue to grow to golf ball 
size. The spiny ball’s spikes occur in pairs, and the pairs curve toward each another. Between these pairs are openings through which winged seeds escape when mature, carried by the wind. Sweetgum balls dangle on a long stalk and may drop when green, but most drop when brown. Many remain on the tree through the winter. They are difficult to rake up. The seeds are a favorite food for finches, mourning doves, bobwhites, wild turkeys, chipmunks, and squirrels.
Another characteristic of sweetgums is the aromatic leaves. Sniff a crushed leaf and know from now on that when you smell that smell it is sweetgum. Sweetgum leaves are distintivel
y star-shaped with toothed edges, and they typically have 5 lobes. There may occasionally be 2 smaller lobes at the base, making 7. Leaves are on long stalks, and may be up to 7 inches in length and 4 to 7 inches across. The leaves are medium green and lustrous, and they turn yellow, orange and red in autumn. These autumn colors make this a popular ornamental tree in landscaping.
Yet another characteristic of sweetgums is how bark attaches itself to branches in plates, edgewise instead of laterally, appearing similar enough to an alligator that it is sometimes called “alligator wood”. This bark is soft and light like cork, and flakes off easily. The only other tree I know that has bark growing laterally is the winged elm, and this tree’s winged bark has a more uniform pattern. The trunk bark of 
sweetgum is light brown or gray with dark streaks, and is deeply fisured with scaly ridges. The twigs are aromatic similar to the leaves, and have been used by past generations to brush teeth and chew.
Sweetgum trees are capable of rapid growth in dense stands, and produce large volumes of wood. They grow best in full sun. A tree may grow to over 150 feet in height and three 
feet in diameter. The largest tree reported was nearly 7 ½ feet in diameter. The crown of sweetgum trees is pyramidal in shape, becoming more oval with age. Trees may live 400 years if undisturbed. Wood from the tree is a finely textured, moderately heavy, whitecolored sapwood with a light pink tint. The heartwood ranges from dark brown to a lighter reddish brown and is often called red gum. Sweetgum grows straight but is difficult to split because of its interlocking grain. Because of this structure, it requires much attention in the drying process because it tends to warp severly and shrink much. However, it is valued for its attractive, interlocked grain and is often found in vaneers, paneling and plywood. It is the lowest 
valued hardwood lumber species that is available in large quantities today.
Sweetgum trees are prized as ornamentals in landscaping. They provide large quantities of timber to the lumber industry. They provide ingredients for medical products such as tamiflu and tincture of benzoin. The sweetgum tree is very common and useful, and very easy to identify when you know its characteristics.
Tincture of benzoin was once commonly found in drug stores, but it is hard to find now. Below is an ad for the product, and if desired it is available for purchase through my participation in the Amazon Services LLC 
Associates Program. Any purchase through this link helps maintain this website and is appreciated.
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