Worplesdon Sweetgum
Scientific Name: Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’
Family: Hamamelidaceae
Origin: Eastern US
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.
Sources
https://plants.oaklandnursery.com/12130001/Plant/7450/Worplesdon_Sweet_Gum
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/liquidambar-styraciflua-worplesdon
http://newportarboretum.org/home/portfolio/worplesdon-sweetgum/
https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/liquidambar-styraciflua
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua
Photo Credit
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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
PAGE INFORMATION WAS COMPILED AS PART OF NOAH WERNING’S 2020 EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT.