﻿Trees of New York State 227 



HAMAMELIDACEAE 



Liquidambar Styraciflua L. 



Sweet Gum, Bilsted, Red Gum 



Habit — An important timber species, usually 40-80 feet in height with a 

 trunk diameter of 2-3 feet, under optimum conditions sometimes 150 feet 

 tall with a trunk 4-5 feet through. Bole tapering, continuous into the 

 crown. Crown at first pyramidal and symmetrical, becoming narrowly 

 oblong in older trees. 



Leaves — ■ Alternate, nearly orbicular, 3-6 inches in diameter, truncate or 

 cordate at the base, deeply 5-7-lobed and palmately veined, the lobes 

 acuminate, widely divergent (stellate), finely glandular, serrate. At 

 maturity the leaves are tliin, smooth, lustrous and bright green above, 

 green and smooth below except for tufts of rufous hairs in the vein 

 axils, borne on slender petioles 5-7 inches long. 



Flowers — Appearing in our raaige during May on the growth of the season 

 when the leaves are about one-third gro^vn, monoecious, borne in capitate 

 heads, subtended by 4 deciduous bracts. Staminate heads about % of 

 an inch in diameter, borne in terminal racemes. Staminate flowers with- 

 out calyx or corolla. Stamens indefinite, interspersed among minute 

 scales. Pistillate heads about half an inch in diameter, borne solitary 

 on long peduncles from the axils of the upper leaves. Pistillate flowers 

 interspersed among long-armed scales. Calyx obconic. Stamens 4, 

 inserted on the summit of the calyx, usually sterile. Pistil consisting 

 of an inferior ovary surmounted by 2 elongated, recurved, persisting, subu- 

 late styles stigmatie on the inner surface. Ovules nimierous. 



Fruit — A long-stalked, globose, light brown, aggregate head, 1-1 ^/^ inches in 

 diameter, consisting of many imbedded, woody capsules, each capped by 

 the 2 horn-like, wide-spreading, woody styles. The friiits mature in 

 autumn but persist far into the winter. Fertile seeds angular, winged, 

 light brown, seldom more than one to a capsule. Sterile seeds numerous, 

 resembling sawdust, rattling out of the capsules along vnth the fertile 

 seeds at maturity. 



Winter characters — Twigs rather stout, glabrous, somewhat angled and lus- 

 trous, roughened by (^rk, raised lenticels, light orange to reddish brown, 

 becoming darker the second season and often developing characteristic 

 corky wings. Pith pale brown, rather large and angular. Buds ovate 

 to conical, obtuse or acute, lustrous orange-bro^\Ti, V^-Mi of an inch in 

 length, fragrant when crushed. Mature bark thick, dark reddish brown, 

 with deep furrows and broad, flat-topped, scaly ridges. 



Habitat — A bottom-land species preferring the deep, rich, moist soils of river 

 flats and the borders of swamps and lakes where the ground is inundated 

 for a period each year. An intolerant species usually fonning open, even- 

 aged groves, or in admixture with other species. 



Range — Southern Connecticut westward through Pennsylvania to southern 

 Missouri, south to Florida and eastern Texas. Zone A. 



Uses A " weed ' ' tree occupying sites suited for other more valuable species 



or for agriculture, but producing a fair grade of lumber. Wood medium 

 soft, rather heavy, straight- and close-grained, weak, dark reddish brown 

 and streaked, with thin, nearly white sapwood. Widely used for loose 

 cooperage, veneer, boxes, crates, woodenware and for interior finish as a 

 substitute for Circassian Walnut under the trade name of Satin Walnut. 

 The tree is also gro^^^l ornamentally. 



