SWEET GUM; GUM TREE (Liquidambar Styraciflua, Linn.). 

 75 to 140 feet. Large tree, with oblong or pyramidal head of 

 short branches. Bark brown, furrowed, scaly on old trees; 

 gray, warty on young trees, twigs with corky ridges. Buds 

 small, hairy-tipped. Leaves cut into 5 to 7 pointed stars, 

 margins saw-toothed, 5 to 7 inches across, waxy, lustrous 

 above, turning red in autumn. Flowers after leaves, monoe- 

 cious, staminate in hairy racemes, pistillate in swinging balls. 

 Fruits dry globes, diameter 1^ inches, made of 2-horned cap- 

 sules, containing a few winged seeds. Dist.: Connecticut to 

 Missouri; south to Florida and Texas, Mexico, and Central 

 America. Preferred habitat, low, swampy ground. Thrives 

 in upland soil, too. Planted for shade and ornament, espe- 

 cially for the autumn coloring. The wood is used for railroad 

 ties, paving blocks, shingles, and choice pieces for veneering 

 furniture, under the name "satin walnut." 



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