American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Tree 15-20 m tall. Bark is in the youth dark gray, thin, later deeply lengthwise grooved, corky. Leaves palmate with 5-7 pointed lobes. Leaves distinctively change colour in autumn. Spiky capsules with persistent styles, arranged in aggregate fruit in 20 to 50 pieces. Infructescences are long-stemmed with a diameter of 2.5 - 3 cm.
Shoots: Shoots are olive green or reddish-brown, angular, shiny, bald (or with little hairs) and with visible lenticels. Older shoots have distinct cork wings.
Natural range: North and Central America; in our area introduced.
Buds
Buds are alternate, 6 to 12 mm long; olive green, orange or reddish-brown. The terminal bud is the biggest on the shoot. The scales are entire with short hairs.
Leaves
Leaves are similar to the leaves of maples, but they are alternate. The lamina is palmated with 5-7 lobes, up to 20 cm wide. Separate lobes are narrowly triangular with a long tip. The face is glossy, glabrous, dark green colored; the underside is lighter and pilose. The margin is gently serrated. In autumn, the leaves are markedly stained, most frequently to red or purple.
Fruits
Spiky capsules with persistent styles, arranged in aggregate fruit in 20 to 50 pieces. Infructescences are long-stemmed with a diameter of 2.5 - 3 cm.