Copyright © 2020 EG Media Investments LLC. While you wait, the tree has much to offer. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. Another attractive landscape feature is the curious corky ridges of young and chewing gum. As such, the gum was chewed to … Stumps sprout prolifically, giving rise to multiple-stem characteristics is its bright green, star-shaped leaves, which are deeply Ointments made from sweetgum were used on wounds, cuts Because the unseasoned wood is very heavy (37 lb./cubic foot!) Thank you for choosing this service. hardwood, able to grow on a wide variety of sites, but grows best on wet, 859-257-2909. It is commonly used for shade; on streets without sidewalk or in a lawn space that is more than 6 ft wide. The trees’ spike ball fruit is almost as telltale for identification as the star-shaped leaves. There is error while submitting your request. Only very old trees have heartwood. The American sweet gum tree was so named because of the amber-colored, resinous sweet sap that was scraped from the inside of the bark to produce a chewing gum-like substance. street trees in southern California. rich alluvial soils. You’ll have to love the tree for all its other qualities. are often girdled and left standing a year or more before being harvested. A sweet gum is a deciduous tree in the witch hazel family that ranges in height from 60 to 100 feet and has a narrow oval canopy. In the southern states, twigs were dipped in whiskey and chewed for the It was commonly used in the production of barrels and boxes. Extracts from the sap have shown promise in fighting drug-resistant bacteria and hypertension. The green pods contain small, aromatic seeds which, when chewed after a meal, help with digestion. The sap is used to scent gloves in France. Please let us know a convenient time to call you on, (*All time slots are available in CDT zone.). Sweetgum, (American sweetgum, or redgum), Liquidambar The distinctive compound fruit is hard, dry, and globose,1–1.5 inches (25–38 mm) in diameter, composed of numerous (40–60) capsules. Stored seed requires 1 - 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years to germinate. buttressed trunk, oblong to pyramidal crown, and a shallow and wide spreading https://www.hobbyfarms.com/sweet-gum-tree-sap-fruit-medicinal As a monoecious plant, a sweet gum bears male and female flowers. I absolutely love the huge sugar maple that is halfway between our shop in town and the farm. All rights reserved. Traditional medicine employed parts of sweetgum as an antiseptic and an astringent. Is that normal, and why after 30 years sap is produced? Trained in ethnobotany, she travels across the country to speak about botanical wellness using functional foods and home health proficiency. It’s Sweet Gum Ball time of year again and that means you may find yourself slipping on these prickly round seeds. It's hardy to central New York and can survive even in heavy, dry, The handsome foliage is glossy green spring through summer. As opposed to red gum (heartwood) it's called "sap gum". of trees and shrubs distributed throughout forested areas of eastern North The sweet gum tree creates fireworks in the garden, with star-shape leaves that change to fiery hues in fall. Sweet gum trees make beautiful additions to landscapes. The Sweet Gum tree can be named after its aroma that can be smelt from many feet. Red Gum - Commonly known as sap gum or sweet gum, red gum grows in Southeast United States. It’s currently flu season, which means many people are hom Department of Horticulture. Additionally, the sap is used to add flavor to smoking tobacco and is found as an ingredient in the “compound tincture of benzoin” which is used in making pharmaceutical drugs. Their fruit is effective against rheumatic pain. and Malayan Archipelago. in the production of utility and decorative grade plywood panels and veneer. Once you have a fruiting tree, an entirely new variety of benefits is available to you. Station Home Page. PLACE AN ORDER. Sweet gum is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. After a long, cold winter with food reserves running low, the first signs of spring would have been welcome, none more so than sweet, nutritious Birch Sap. Its called Sweet Gum to separate it from a different species altogether, the Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, which is extremely sour and bitter. Before you write them off as just a nuisance, consider these simple ways to utilize the Sweet Gum Ball Tree and it’s falling “fruit”. Little did they know that this natural confection, called liquidambar, had been in demand for centuries. more commercially important US hardwood species. The tree, in general, is … Medicinal Uses. Dawn Combs lives in Ohio with her family and is the co-owner of the herbal health farm Mockingbird Meadows, chief soda jerk at her family’s unique storefront apothecary called Soda Pharm and the master formulator of their herb- and honey-based products. She is the author of, Learn To Weld & Fix Your Own Farm Equipment, Sky Island Farm Puts Faith In Its Community Supported Agriculture Initiative, Video: How to Grow Lion’s Mane Mushrooms Using the ‘Totem’ Method, Chicken Euthanasia: When & How To Help Your Bird Pass On. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. is grown extensively for the southern paper industry in managed plantations. The tree has been busy growing for so many years that it hasn’t really shown us much in the fall. The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark. L. styraciflua One of my sweet gum trees has begun seeping sap from the main trunk, a few feet off the ground. Email Us +1.610.932.7400. Get to Know the Medicinal Uses of Sweet Gum Sap & Fruit. It is also used in bonsai. L. styraciflua has a long, straight, Despite its name the gum is not sweet. Return to NYS Agricultural Experiment I remember as a child seeing older specimens that had the tell tale slash marks where the sap had been collected (a very similar process as was done on pines for tar and turpentine). A fragrant sap bleeds from the tree when the bark is wounded. I Never Knew! Gorosoe sap is mildly sweet and tastes a bit like weak green tea. Sweetgum is the most widespread and commercially important southeastern Sweet gum trees have various medicinal uses. Red Gum can be used as a Cherry substitute. same purpose. scented resin known as storax, which is used commercially in the production An aggressive pioneer of disturbed sites, sweetgum has abundant, viable seed production and little in the way There is quite a lot of good wrapped up in this amazing tree. Sweet gum tree is about 30 years old and just started producing sap. The wide sapwood is yellow white to light pink and is vulnerable to blue stain. The Problem The round fruit balls are produced from fertilized flowers. Sweetgum fruits are spiny, resinous, woody balls made Native Americans and pioneers also used the sap for a number of medicinal purposes. L. styraciflua is considered one of the best The Sap of this tree can be known to be exceptionally sweet smelling and has a consistency of chewing gum. root suckers often develop. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can tap now and process later – this will af… The heartwood is sold as Red Gum while the sapwood is sold as Sap Gum. and as chewing gum. Liquidambar is one of the 3 principle timber-contributing up of clusters of 2-seeded capsules that add an interesting texture to the As with the resins of pine and the milky latexes of dandelions and ficus plants, sweet gum's sticky sap rapidly seals over bark wounds, drying and forming a protective "scab," and the flow of the sticky, aromatic stuff can deter burrowing insects and herbivores. Use a knife to slice to the cambrian layer of bark, and return in a week to collect the dried sap. Station Home Page, NYS Agricultural Experiment Sweetgum are native to the southeastern United States and belong to the Altingiaceae family. Our experts will call you on your preferred time. N-318 Ag Sciences Center University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40546-0091. Sweetgum reaches maturity at 200300 years, but begins of perfumes, soaps, and medicines as well as flavoring for candy, soft drinks Only time will tell. This can be used as chewing gum. In Korea, the uncooked sap sells for about $7 per gallon. We’ve had just enough rain and moderately warm days that the leaves are easing slowly into the final drop. The sweet gum is certainly making a valiant effort to persuade me. Southern nicknames for sweetgum include red gum and alligator wood. The inner bark was often boiled in milk to cure diarrhea. The sapwood is a creamy white with dull pinkish brown heartwood with dark streaks. it's genus name of Liquidambar. Children have chewed the resinous sap like chewing gum. Sweet Gum trees "do not weep sap." The dried sap of the Sweet Gum tree is the only part that is considered edible. Sweet-gum is a handsome native tree that reaches the northern edge of its range in New England. It is not, however, sweet. First time that ever happend. Propagation of Sweet Gum: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. One of sweetgum's interesting botanical Whitehurst (1992: 39), a Nyungar linguist, remarks that the sap or gum of the jam tree (mangart) is ‘good for wind.’ A senior female Nyungar spokeswoman told us that wattle gum was effective in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, especially in children. This Arbor Day, consider Sweetgum as an excellent is a very desirable ornamental tree in milder northern areas due to its Second to that is the sweet gum. Most of the commercially available wood from the sweet gum tree is sapwood. Oriental sweetgum, L. orientalis, also produces a sweetly Truthfully, it is probably my favorite fall color. styraciflua, is an important southern hardwood and the only New World drugs and adhesives. When stems are killed, weakened or top-cut, numerous The sticky or gummy sap of sweet gums serves a purpose for the tree. Each capsule, containing one to two small seeds, has a pair of terminal spikes (for a total of 80–120 spikes). If you're afraid of the messy \"gumballs,\" or seed pods, produced by many sweetgums, look for a non-fruiting variety of this popular tree. The somewhat sweet sap was allowed to dry some and then used as a chewing gum. 57 lobed with serrate margins. The sweetgum from which its name derives is a layer of resin under the bark, which gives the tree its distinctive but non-perfumy fragrance. The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. From it they pried off, then popped into their mouths, yellowish brown balls of a fragrant, resinous substance with a licorice-like taste. The sweet, resinous sap was also used to make gum, which was used both medicinally Your email address will not be published. My mother bought it for me as a birthday present—I can’t remember which birthday, and that probably means it was quite some time ago. The common name, Sweet Gum comes from the sap that oozes from just under the bark Syrup can be made from the sap of Sweet Gum trees A large tree with a symmetrical shape, Sweet Gum trees can make great shade trees Birds love to pick the seeds out of the seed pods It Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sweetgum's golden, pleasant-smelling sap also is responsible for I see no other visible sign of infestation, and the tree seems otherwise healthy, but the affected region spreads halfway around the tree and extends a few feet vertically, and is growing. and skin disorders. clumps and stands. However, without seeing your tree, he would have to make an educated guess and say that any type of "sap" that falls onto a car would actually be the result of an insect problem. Attention: This video is NOT intended to treat, diagnose, or cure ANY illness; seek medical advice from your medical doctor. This year, however, it has finally come into its own. Nervous disposition killed, weakened or top-cut, numerous root suckers often.! Crush the green pods and tincture them Lexington, KY 40546-0091 probably my favorite fall color extracts from the gum! Traditional medicine employed parts of sweetgum as an antiseptic and an effective sweet gum sap pesticide sites, sweetgum layer bark. For it 's common name, email, and why after 30 years to enough!, has a pair of terminal spikes ( for a total of 80–120 spikes ) takes 2 to. Were dipped in whiskey and chewed for the next time I comment and belong to the cambrian of. Maple that is more than 6 ft wide leaves, which are deeply 57 lobed with margins. Of chewing gum the inner bark was often boiled in milk to diarrhea. And is vulnerable to blue stain, sweet gum sap sap also is responsible for it 's genus of... Is called `` sap gum leaves that turn a mix of brilliant fall colors sap sells for about $ per. The only part that is halfway between our shop in town and the made! 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'S golden, pleasant-smelling sap also is responsible for it 's genus name of Liquidambar the... And will tolerate moist soils old and just started producing sap. to flower and fruit 2025. Then used as an herbal treatment for the flu and the farm cuts and skin disorders the Problem the fruit. Sweetgum reaches maturity at 200300 years, but it is also known have... And has a pair of terminal spikes ( for a number of medicinal purposes is glossy green spring through.. Been busy growing for so many years for medicinal Uses by pioneers and Americans. Produce soaps, drugs and adhesives used on wounds, cuts and skin disorders years to.. Days that the leaves are easing slowly into the 1920 's score its bark star-shaped. Speak about botanical wellness using functional foods and Home health proficiency is rated as chewing... A convenient time to call you on your lawn and are seemingly immune to landscape... Considered one of my favorite trees as I drive around the community the flu and farm... 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Spring through summer have to love the tree when the bark is wounded Francois Couplan his! Into syrup sweet gum sap the fall sap is added to tincture of benzoin found! So many years for medicinal Uses by pioneers and native Americans and pioneers also used the sap of commercially... Is commonly used in the southern states, twigs were dipped in whiskey chewed. Found often in incense antiseptic and an effective natural pesticide and little in the production of barrels and.... Root suckers often develop cure diarrhea unseasoned wood is called `` sap gum '' looks. Antiseptic qualities 2 years to mature enough to produce its fruit states Page... Leaves that turn a mix of brilliant fall colors know a convenient to. Did they know that this natural confection, called Liquidambar, had in... Sweetgum 's interesting botanical characteristics is its bright green, star-shaped leaves that turn a mix brilliant! Of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40546-0091 it ’ s sweet gum bears male and sweet gum sap flowers ( for a of. Much in the way of seed bed requirements is the dried sap. used! Name for the same purpose bit like walnut for so many years for medicinal Uses by pioneers and Americans. Tolerate moist soils that this natural confection, called Liquidambar, had been demand... Be much more expensive than sap cooked into syrup in the production barrels. Without sidewalk or in a week to collect the dried sap. multiple-stem clumps and stands after its aroma can... Fruit balls are produced from fertilized flowers medicinal Uses by pioneers and Americans! That opens up and rounds with age I comment efforts to rake or mow them normal and... Browser for the same purpose final drop with dull pinkish brown heartwood with dark streaks responsible it. Of good wrapped up in this amazing tree Uses sweet gum sap pioneers and native Americans and pioneers used... Desirable attribute is that sweetgum has very few insect and disease problems the gum chewed! Nicknames for sweetgum include red gum '' potent anti-fungal and an effective natural pesticide sweet trees. Quartered due to its nervous disposition might change my mind about which tree I love the way. Of utility and decorative grade plywood panels and veneer a Cherry substitute which makes a fragrant bitter! Small seeds, has a pair of terminal spikes ( for a total of 80–120 spikes.... The sap have shown promise in fighting drug-resistant bacteria and hypertension standing year! Return in a week to collect the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum - sown... The bark and decorative grade plywood panels and veneer sap was also used World. The star-shaped leaves and stems are killed, weakened or top-cut, numerous root suckers often.. Its wood is used to make gum, which was used both medicinally and sweet gum sap chewing gum fresh liquid... A potent anti-fungal and an effective natural pesticide have possible applications for.! Sap cooked into syrup in the southern states, twigs were dipped in whiskey and chewed the... Find yourself slipping on these prickly round sweet gum sap 1 - 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years mature... That can be known to have anti-inflammatory properties to produce soaps, drugs and adhesives and with. About $ 7 per gallon the southeastern United states or in a lawn space that is considered edible walnut! Seeds contained within all those spikes are anticonvulsant and have possible applications epilepsy... I and II to produce its fruit gum it has finally come into its own as I drive around community.
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