Sweet Gum Tree Balls

The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on.

Sweet gum tree balls. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. With its tall straight stature streak patterned wood and glossy leaves that become vibrantly colorful in the fall sweet gum trees are an attractive addition to any front yard. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua.

The fruit it bears provides food for many animals including squirrels wood ducks whitetail deer birds and beavers. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. Let s not forget about the beauty of the sweet gum ball tree itself. According to the lazy landscaper these hard brown spiky balls that can create some serious hazards.

Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth. 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. This plant s genus. The spiky seed pods of the sweetgum tree are a nuisance to many gardeners.

The tree s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity. The chemical ethepon florel releases ethylene gas when it is sprayed onto the tree branches while sweetgum flowers are present in spring. A fast growing tree the sweetgum offers plenty of shade while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. Many people think of sweet gum balls as a nuisance but they can be used to make many types of crafts.

It is theoretically possible to eliminate the balls each year but it is a difficult process. The barbs are carried to new locations when they latch onto animals fur. It is recognizable by the combination of its five pointed star shaped leaves and its hard spiked fruits. The one major flaw of this deciduous tree is the hundreds of spiny woody.

The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. Sweet gum balls are the seeds that fall from sweet gum trees. This large tree provides shade in the summer gorgeous orange red and yellow leaves in the fall and is a great privacy barrier. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter.

It is currently classified in the plant family altingiaceae but was formerly considered a member of the hamamelidaceae.