Image sourced from Wikimedia/Frank Vincentz
El Liquidambar styraciflua it is a beautiful tree. It has a very elegant bearing, with its straight trunk, and a crown made up of numerous leaves that turn a striking red color during the fall.
In addition, it is a plant that in cultivation it is not particularly difficult to maintain, although yes, for this to be fulfilled the weather must accompany.
What is the origin and characteristics of the Liquidambar styraciflua?
Image sourced from Wikimedia/Famartin
It is a deciduous tree known by the common or popular names sweetgum or American sweetgum to differentiate it from others of the genus. It grows naturally in eastern North America, from sea level to 800 meters above sea level.
It grows up to 20, maximum 35 meters, although specimens of 41 meters have been found. Its trunk is almost like a pillar, with a diameter that can exceed 2 meters. The leaves are palmate, 7 to 21 centimeters, with five lobes, and green except before falling when they turn reddish.
It is a monoecious species. The male flowers form pedunculated clusters 3 to 6 centimeters long, and the female ones are pendulous. They are both green. The fruit is also pendulous, dry and globose, with a diameter of 2,5 to 4 centimeters, and it protects numerous winged seeds, 1 centimeter long and blackish.
What uses is it given?
Image sourced from Wikimedia/Luis Fernández García
Sweetgum is a tree that is widely used as a garden plant, whether private or public. It's great as a stand-alone specimen, but also looks great in groups or lineups. In this sense, it is a good tree to have as a high hedge. But it must also be said that there are those who are encouraged to work it as a bonsai.
However, it is not the only use that is given to it. Native Americans use its resin, bark, and root to curb diarrhea, treat minor skin problems, and even to relieve fever or as a sedative.
What are the care that must be given to the American liquidambar?
Image sourced from Wikimedia/Frank Vincentz
Sweetgum is a tree that must be grown outdoors from the start. It is a plant that must feel the passing of the seasons in order to grow and be well, for this reason, it is only recommended to grow in temperate climates, where the summers are mild and the winters cold with snowfall.
It can grow in a pot for a while, but the substrate to be used must be one suitable for acid-loving plants, with a pH between 4 and 6. If you choose to plant it in the garden, it must also have a low pH, since in clay soils its leaves will become chlorotic as a result of the lack of iron. In addition, the soil must be rich in organic matter and have very good drainage.
Image sourced from Wikimedia/Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
If we talk about irrigation, it should be moderate; that is, preventing the earth from drying out completely. Remember to use rainwater or no lime for the same reason mentioned above. Fertilize it from time to time with organic fertilizers.
To finish, you should know that it is a tree that resists up to -18ºC.
Good afternoon! We have planted two sweetgum in the spring of 2019, trees almost two meters high, quite leafy and in the summer the ants attacked them, they almost peeled them, we fought them a little with a vegetable wax that we put on the logs, but also the ants climbed up the iron structure that we put on them as protection. We plant them in a square that we have in front of our house.
Do you know with what we can fight ants, in a more natural way?
Hello Andrea.
A natural and very effective remedy is to rub the trunks with lemon. The strong smell greatly displeases the ants, so they will not go near the trees.
In any case, these insects usually appear when plants have aphids. These are very small, about 0,5cm long, and can be green, brown, black. They feed on the sap they suck from leaves and flower buds.
Fortunately, they can also be eliminated, or at least controlled, with a remedy that will not affect the trees or the environment, only the aphids: the chromatic traps for aphids, which are yellow in color. Some are hung on the branches, and they will do the rest. As soon as an aphid sticks to the trap, it will no longer be able to escape.
Regards!
Hello, I went for a liquidambar tree to a nursery in Mexico City and I already planted it in the back garden of my house, the tree is thin and measures 3 meters. I would like to know how many meters it will grow because I want a tall tree of at least 15 meters to give us shade and privacy. Will the liquidambar be able to reach at least 15 meters in height? How many years will it take to grow? Greetings and thank you very much. ?
Hello Jorge.
Yes, don't worry: grow will grow 🙂
The only thing is that you have to give it a little time. Its growth rate is not one of the fastest in the arboreal world, but if it goes well it can grow over 20-30cm/year.
Regards!
Hello, in my previous house I had a Liquidambar. The bark was not very rough, rather smooth, and it was also quite dense in terms of leaf production, which gave good shade. Pyramidal appearance with quite vertical branches. The growth rate in the first years was very fast, but after the first 5 years, it stopped growing. I would like to plant another of this same variety but I don't know what variety it could be. Do you have any idea what variety it would be?
It is for Madrid.
Thank you
Hello Eduardo.
There are different cultivars, but if it had a pyramidal shape I would say it was the Grazam, although the Slender Silhouette is also narrow but more columnar.
Regards!
Hello, I had a liquimbar of almost 2 meters on the sidewalk for two years. What I did, the ants always grabbed me. Last year it hardly had any leaves and this year it's almost past spring and it seems like it was dry. Although not all the branches are dry, it did not bear a single leaf. What can I do?
Hi Sabrina.
Have you looked at any pests on the leaves? It is that when ants invade a plant, it is usually because it has mealybugs, aphids or whitefly (or several at the same time).
Since the tree is not excessively large, if you have a hose near it, spray it with water when the sun goes down. And if you don't have any, go to a plant nursery and ask if they have blue and yellow sticky traps. If they do, you only have to hang two or three on different branches of the tree to control pests.
Regards!