RED GUM 



(Liquidambar Styraciflua) 



THIS tree does not belong to the same group as black gum and 

 tupelo, which are in the dogwood family, while red gum is of the 

 witch hazel family. If a tree is to be judged and named by its character, 

 red gum is more entitled to the name "gum" than any other tree of this 

 country, because it exudes a yellow resin from wounds in the bark. 

 The botanical name recognizes that fact. Storax is procured from a 

 closely related tree is Asia, and has been known in commerce for many 

 centuries. The other popular names of red gum are sweet gum, liquid- 

 amber, gum, gum tree, alligator wood, bilsted, starleaved gum, and 

 satin walnut. 



The last name originated in England where it was desirable to 

 avoid the name gum when applied to the wood of this tree. Though 

 botanically it is about as distantly related to walnut as any tree can be, 

 the figure of the wood often suggests walnut. The name sweet gum 

 refers to the pleasant odor of the resin which is sometimes used in 

 France, and probably elsewhere, to perfume gloves. Alligator wood 

 is descriptive of warty excrescences on the bark of some trees, but 

 they are not common to all. Starleaved gum relates to the leaf. It is 

 a lopsided star a six point star with one point missing. 



This tree's range in the United States extends from Connecticut to 

 Texas and as far northwest of the Alleghanies as Missouri and Illinois. 

 It reaches its greatest size in the lower Mississippi valley in rich bottom 

 land which is subject to repeated inundation. It is not, however, as 

 purely a swamp tree as tupelo and cypress. It grows well on land which 

 is never inundated, but it needs plenty of moisture. The largest speci- 

 mens exceed a height of 120 feet and a diameter of four; but logs from 

 eighteen inches to three feet are the usual sizes. The tree's range extends 

 southward through Mexico into Central America. 



The rise of red gum lumber into prominence forms an interesting 

 chapter in the industry. It was formerly considered so difficult to 

 season that few mills cared to deal with it, but that difficulty has been 

 largely overcome. In the past, gum, having no market value, was left 

 standing after logging; or, where the land was cleared for farming, was 

 girdled and allowed to rot, and then felled and burned. Not only 

 were the trees a total loss to the farmer, but, from their great size and the 

 labor required to handle them, they were so serious an obstruction as 

 often to preclude the clearing of valuable land. Now that there is a 

 market for the timber, it is profitable to cut gum with other hardwoods, 



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