Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

 

Interesting & key characteristics:

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Height: Ranges in size from 60 to 100 ft. It grows moderate to rapid at 1 to 4 feet a year.

Flowers: The sweet gum produces small, pale green flowers that develop into spiky seed pods and has gumballs.

Leaves: Star-shaped. In the fall the leaves turn brilliant colors of red, orange, yellow, and purple.

 

Unique benefits (how it helps our planet):

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It is an important source of hardwood lumber used for furniture and cabinets. It provides habitat for insects and animals. The name sweet gum refers to the pleasant taste of the sticky liquid that oozes from the cuts. Before chewing gum, American children chewed the sweet, gummy sap of sweetgum. 

 

Source: Facts on the Sweet Gum Tree, Fifty Common Trees of Missouri (Department of Conservation)

 

The Story Behind the Tree:

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The sweetgum tree is such a fun toy for little kids. They love to play on the stump and roots, and play with the gumballs. The base of the tree is very uneven, so some kids even trip on it sometimes! Some of the games they play on the tree is that the floor is lava or they play ring-around-a-rosie. They don't only use the tree for playtime, but they also use it for math. They use the gumballs to count and separate them into different buckets. On the 100th day of school, students count, compare, build - all with the gumballs. This tree is so fun and kids can play on it for hours.