Sweet Gum Tree Balls Inside

These are a yard nuisance but i ve found a useful purpose for them.

Sweet gum tree balls inside. Additionally the sweet gum s spiky gum balls hang conspicuously from the tree s smaller. The tree s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter. For instance yesterday i finally looked up tree with spiky balls yeah i giggled a little inside at the search terms.

The sweet gum s primary liability according to the makers of this list are the thousands of spiny brown seed balls gum balls if you will that it casts upon the ground around it. The infertile seeds of the sweet gum ball contain shikimic acid which is also contained in the same tree used to make tamiflu. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. These seeds are food for about 25 species.

The spines become even spinier and holes open up to reveal seeds inside the balls. According to the lazy landscaper these hard brown spiky balls that can create some serious hazards. On our typical route there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls. We ve taken hundreds of walks in our neighborhood and have run into the same patches of spiky balls countless times.

Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. May 10 2017 explore linda durtschi s board sweet gum tree ball crafts on pinterest.

Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on. However the search is long overdue. If you re up for some experimenting sweet gum balls can been used to make a tea from boiling the young green seeds.

Processing wild crafted sweet gum tree balls to make homemade tamiflu. See more ideas about sweet gum sweet gum tree crafts crafts.