Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), or Redgum, is one of our more attractive native trees, and is widely used in landscaping. Its leaves turn scarlet and orange in the fall, and its prickly fruits add lots of interest in the winter. Notice that “Redgum” is also a common name for a variety of Australian Eucalyptus, but you won’t find them growing in Ohio. 

The star-shaped leaves of Sweetgum are distinct. The leaves and branches are alternately-arranged, i.e., they are not attached directly across from one another. They are also simple, and do not share a stem with other leaflets in groups of 3, 5, 7, etc., as is the case with compound leaves. The leaves are somewhat like those of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) as they have palmately-arranged (hand-like) veins, rather than pinnately-arranged (feather-like) veins. The 3- to 6-inch leaves have 5 (rarely 7) lobes and distinct teeth. The deciduous leaves are dark green in the summer, and often show lovely orange and red colors in the fall. Sweetgum leaves typically have a distinct star shape, but some have smaller, secondary lobes. This variation is said to be randomly distributed, with no clear geographic correlation. Sweetgums have distinctive leaf scars and buds. The leaf scars are crescent-shaped, with three small, round bundle scars. The buds have clearly visible, overlapping scales.