Worplesdon Sweetgum

Scientific Name: Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’

Family: Hamamelidaceae

Origin: Eastern US

Worplesdon Sweetgum
Worplesdon Sweetgum

Why is it called Worplesdon Sweetgum? When the bark is peeled, a brown-yellow sap, or gum, comes out.  Native American’s used that sap a chewing gum and as medicine. Worplesdon is a cultivar, or cultivated variety of the American Sweetgum

Common Names: American Sweetgum, Redgum, Sapgum

Mature Height: 50-60 feet

Mature Width/Spread: 30-40 feet

Leaves: Shiny dark green leaves that are star-shaped and have 5 to 7 long pointed lobes.

In the fall, the leaves become: fiery red, orange and purple from early September through late October before they fall

Did you know …

  • It is a commercial hardwood in the Southeast US and is used to manufacture fruit crates.
  • In the summer, the tree develops yellow -green spherical flower clusters that over time turn into bristly “gum-balls.”
  • Native Americans would use the tree sap to make teas and to treat dysentery and diarrhea.
Sweetgum Leaves
Sweetgum Leaves
Sweetgum Flower Cluster
Sweetgum Flower Cluster
Sweetgum Gum Pods (Spiny Seed Pods)
Sweetgum Gum Pods (Spiny Seed Pods)