SWEET GUM. 61 



size on the shaded slopes of the mountains, where it is called 

 service tree. 



About every third year this tree bears fruit in large quantities ; 

 during intermediate years, sparingly or not at all. Seedlings are 

 common in moist and shady woods. 



The leaves are small, finely toothed, acute at the apex and 

 rounded or heart-shaped at the base. The white flowers appear 

 in drooping racemes in early spring. The sweet edible rounded 

 fruit is dark purple when ripe, and from ? to \ inch in diameter. 

 The pale chestnut-brown pointed winter-buds, \ inch long, are 

 covered with slightly hairy scales. The service tree has numerous 

 superficial lateral roots. 



The wood is heavy, exceedingly hard, strong and close-grained; 

 dark brown in color ; the thick sapwood, of 40 to 50 layers of 

 annual growth, lighter. It takes a good polish, and is occasionally 

 used for the handles of tools. 



In North Carolina the wood has few uses ; large numbers of 

 trees, however, are cut every year for the fruit. 



Liquidambar styraciflua, Linnaeus. 

 (SWEET GUM. RED GUM.) 



A large tree, with straight cylindrical trunk, dark deeply fur- 

 rowed bark, and branches often winged with corky ridges. It 

 reaches a height of 140 and a diameter of 5 to 6 feet. 



It occurs from Connecticut to Missouri, south to Central 

 Florida and westward, through Arkansas and Indian Territory, 

 to Texas, reaching its best development in the bottom lands of the 

 Mississippi basin. It is common in low wet situations. 



In this State, where it attains an average height of about 60 

 and an average diameter of 2 to 3 feet, it is common in moist situ- 

 ations from the coast to the mountains. (Fig. 9, p. 62.) West of 

 the Blue Ridge it is sometimes found south of the French Broad 

 river. It is in the coastal plain that it attains its largest dimen- 

 sions, growing frequently in deep swamps with the black gum and 

 cypress, to a diameter of 5 or 6 feet and height of one hundred 

 feet. 



