Summary
Grown especially for its fall foliage, sweet gum is a large, fast-growing tree tolerant of poor drainage and drier soils. Glossy green, five-point, star-shaped leaves adorn the tree throughout the growing season turning a combination of bright orange, gold, purple and red in autumn. In spring, inconspicuous flowers give rise to the iconic spherical clusters of seed capsules which turn from green to brown in winter. These “gum balls” persist on the tree and can be a nuisance when they drop. Sweet gum makes a good shade or specimen tree for moist, acid soils in full sun or filtered shade. It grows well with Aronia arbutifolia, Oxydendrum arboreum and Fothergilla x intermedia ‘Mt. Airy’.
More Details
- Plant Type
tree - Sun/Shade Conditions
filtered-shade, full-sun - Foliage Character
deciduous - Soil Moisture
average, dry, moist, wet - Flowering Period
early-spring, mid-spring - Soil PH
acidic - Flower Color
green - Summer Foliage Color
green - Fall Foliage Color
orange, purple, red, yellow - Fruit/Seed Color
brown
Additional Information
UConn Plant Database, Floridata, Silvics Manual, NC State University