What Do Sweet Gum Tree Leaves Look Like

Deep glossy green star shaped leaves mark the sweetgum.

What do sweet gum tree leaves look like. Some people refer to these leaves as having a star form or a maple like silhouette. Sweet gum tree sweet gum tree has maple like leaves that turn yellow to red in the fall. Sweet gum tree is a tall majestic tree that s difficult to beat for symmetrical beauty in a landscape setting. Leaves turn yellow purple red in the fall and stay on the tree quite late.

Silver dollar gum tree native to south eastern australia. Snow gum tree also known as ghost gum or weeping gum. The star shaped leaves of sweet gum become even more striking in the autumn when they turn various shades of gold red pink and purple often on the same tree. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates.

Its shape is pyramidal becoming more rounded with age. The sweet gum tree is the sand spur of the forest. Spotted gum tree has lemon scented leaves and spotted bark gum tree. Here is some detailed information on gum trees.

See more pictures of trees. Naturally occurring populations are limited to southeastern missouri but sweet gum is widely planted statewide. Facts and information on gum trees. The star like leaf has 5 or 7 lobes or points and turns from green in summer to yellow or purple in autumn.

It is recognizable by the combination of its five pointed star shaped leaves and its hard spiked fruits. You painfully find them with your feet. The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant bitter chewing gum. Distribution in missouri.

The vicious seed pods have impaled many a forager and has done much to ruin the sweet gum s reputation. Sweetgum is a pioneer species often found after an area has been logged or clearcut and one of the most common tree species in the eastern united states.