Trees of Alabama and the Southeast Home Page

 Leaves are simple, alternate, deciduous, star-shaped and toothed.  Young twigs are brown to green and twigs often have corky projections.  Buds are large, shiny, and green-red-brown with many overlapping scales.  Fruit is a spiny ball containing many capsules. Bark is gray to dark brown and ridged but the ridges become flattened on large trees.  Sweetgum is intolerant of shade and is found on a variety of sites in the south.  This species reproduces aggressively through seed production and root sprouting.  The wood is used for pulp, boxes ands pallets.  The seeds are eaten by birds, ducks and squirrels.

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 All text and photographs are intended for educational purposes only and are not for commercial use in any form.  All photographs are copyrighted by the named photographer(s), text copyright by Lisa Samuelson. © 2005, all rights reserved. Photographs by Mike Hogan.