Liquidambar

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Liquidambar
Temporal range: late Cretaceous – Recent
CopalmeDAmerique.jpg
Sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua )
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Altingiaceae
Genus: Liquidambar
L.
Type species
Liquidambar styraciflua
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • AltingiaNoronha
  • Cathayambar(Harms) Nakai
  • SedgwickiaGriff.
  • SemiliquidambarH.T.Chang

Liquidambar, commonly called sweetgum [2] (star gum in the UK), [3] gum, [2] redgum, [2] satin-walnut, [2] or American storax, [2] is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. [1] They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae. They are native to southeast and east Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and eastern North America. They are decorative deciduous trees that are used in the wood industry and for ornamental purposes.

Contents

Etymology

Both the scientific and common names refer to the sweet resinous sap (liquid amber ) exuded by the trunk when cut.

Species

Extant species

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Liquidambar acalycina (2).jpg Liquidambar acalycina Chang's sweetgumcentral & southern China
Liquidambar cambodiana Sdey Cambodia
Liquidambar caudata Fujian and Zhejiang, China
Xun Shu (Shan Li Zhi ) Altingia chinensis -Xiang Gang Cheng Men Jiao Ye Gong Yuan Shing Mun Country Park, Hong Kong- (9219891159).jpg Liquidambar chinensis south China to Vietnam
Liquidambar chingii south China to Vietnam
Sedgwickia cerasifolia Griffith 1836.jpg Liquidambar excelsa Rasamala  [ id ] Indonesia to Tibet
Chinese Sweet Gum (Liquidambar formosana) (21652161393).jpg Liquidambar formosana Chinese sweetgum or Formosan sweetgumVietnam, Laos, China, Taiwan and Korea
Altingia gracilipes 29-2837.jpg Liquidambar gracilipes southeast China
Liquidambar multinervis north Guizhou, China
Liquidambar obovata Hainan, China
Leaves of Liquidambar orientalis 1.jpg Liquidambar orientalis Oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgumsouthwest Turkey and Rhodes, Greece
Liquidambar poilanei Vietnam
Liquidambar siamensis Southeast Asia to China
Liquidambar styraciflua (12027673696).jpg Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgumeastern North America from Connecticut, USA, to Nicaragua
Altingia yunnanensis - Kunming Botanical Garden - DSC03172.JPG Liquidambar yunnanensis southeast Yunnan, China to Vietnam

Fossils

Description

Stereo image
Left frame 
Liquidambaseedpod.JPG
Right frame 
Liquidambaseedpod.JPG
Parallel view ( Stereogram guide parallel.png )
Liquidambaseedpod.JPG
Cross-eye view ( Stereogram guide cross-eyed.png )
Liquidambaseedpod.JPG
Liquidambaseedpod.JPG
Seed pods from Liquidambar tree

They are all large, deciduous trees, 25–40 m (82–131 ft) tall, with palmately 3- to 7-lobed leaves arranged spirally on the stems and length of 12.5 to 20 centimetres (4.9 to 7.9 in), having a pleasant aroma when crushed. Their leaves can be many colors such as bright red, orange, yellow, and even purple. [4] Mature bark is grayish and vertically grooved. [4] The flowers are small, produced in a dense globular inflorescence 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) diameter, pendulous on a 3–7 centimetres (1.2–2.8 in) stem. The fruit is a woody multiple capsule 2–4 centimetres (0.79–1.57 in) in diameter (popularly called a "gumball"), containing numerous seeds and covered in numerous prickly, woody armatures, possibly to attach to fur of animals. The woody biomass is classified as hardwood.

L. styraciflua fruits on stem with seeds to the side Liquidambar styraciflua MHNT.BOT.2006.0.1265.jpg
L. styraciflua fruits on stem with seeds to the side

At higher latitudes, Liquidambars are among the last of trees to leaf out in the spring, and also among the last of trees to drop its leaves in the fall/autumn, turning multiple colors. Fall/autumn colors are most brilliant where nights are chilly, but some cultivars color well in warm climates.

Distribution

Species within this genus are native to Southeast and east Asia, western Mediterranean and eastern North America. [1] Countries and regions in which they occur are: Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara, Jawa, Sumatera); Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia); Thailand; Cambodia; Vietnam; China (including Fujian, Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan, Zhejiang}; Taiwan; Korea; Laos; Myanmar; India (including Assam); East Himalaya; Tibet; Turkey; Greece (Rhodes); Nicaragua; Honduras; El Salvador; Guatemala; Belize; Mexico; and eastern USA (from Texas to Connecticut). It is regarded as introduced/naturalised in Italy, Spain, Belgium and New York, USA. [1] In cultivation they can be seen in warm temperate and subtropical climates around the world.

Fossil records

Fossil leaf of Liquidambar from Pliocene of Italy Altingiaceae - Liquidambar species.JPG
Fossil leaf of Liquidambar from Pliocene of Italy

This genus is known in the fossil record from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary (age range: 99.7 to 0.781 million years ago). [5] The genus was much more widespread in the Tertiary, but has disappeared from Europe due to extensive glaciation in the north and the east–west oriented Alps and Pyrenees, which have served as a blockade against southward migration. It has also disappeared from western North America due to climate change, and also from the unglaciated (but nowadays too cold) Russian Far East. There are several fossil species of Liquidambar, showing its relict status today.

Uses

The wood is used for furniture, interior finish, paper pulp, veneers and baskets of all kinds. The heartwood once was used in furniture, sometimes as imitation mahogany or Circassian walnut. It is used widely today in flake and strand boards. Sweetgum is a foodplant for various caterpillars. The American sweetgum is widely planted as an ornamental, within its natural range and elsewhere.

The hardened sap, or gum resin, excreted from the wounds of the sweetgum, for example, the American sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua ), can be chewed on like chewing gum and has been long used for this purpose in the Southern United States. [4] The sap was also believed to be a cure for sciatica, weakness of nerves, etc.

In Traditional Chinese medicine, lu lu tong, or "all roads open," is the hard, spiky fruit of native sweetgum species. It first appeared in Chinese medical literature in Omissions from the Materia Medica, by Chen Cangqi, in 720 AD. Bitter in taste, aromatic, and neutral in temperature, lu lu tong is claimed to promote the movement of blood and qi, water metabolism and urination, expels wind, and unblocks the channels. It is supposedly an ingredient in formulas for epigastric distention or abdominal pain, anemia, irregular or scanty menstruation, low back or knee pain and stiffness, edema with difficult urination, or nasal congestion. [6]

In the fall/autumn, the trees drop their hard, spiky seedpods by the hundreds, which can become a serious nuisance on pavements and lawns. Some US cities have expedited permits to remove liquidambar trees. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i> Tree species

American sweetgum, also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweetgum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves and its hard, spiked fruits. It is currently classified in the plant family Altingiaceae, but was formerly considered a member of the Hamamelidaceae.

<i>Ophiopogon japonicus</i> Species of grass

Ophiopogon japonicus (dwarf lilyturf, mondograss, fountainplant, monkeygrass; Japanese: リュウノヒゲ ryu-no-hige or ジャノヒゲ ja-no-hige is a species of Ophiopogon native to China, India, Japan, and Vietnam.

Red gum or redgum may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storax balsam</span>

Storax, often commercially sold as styrax, is a natural resin isolated from the wounded bark of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. and Liquidambar styraciflua L. (Hamamelidaceae). It is distinct from benzoin, a similar resin obtained from the Styracaceae plant family.

<i>Pinellia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Pinellia is a genus of plants in the family Araceae native to East Asia. Its species are commonly called green dragons due to the color and shape of the inflorescence, which possesses a green, hooded spathe from which protrudes a long, tongue-like extension of the spadix. The leaves vary greatly in shape among different species, from simple and cordate to compound with three to many leaflets. Pinellia reproduces rapidly from seed and many species also produce bulbils on the leaves. Both characteristics have allowed some species to become weedy in temperate areas outside their native range, notably Pinellia ternata in eastern North America.

<i>Ophiopogon</i> Genus of grasses

Ophiopogon (lilyturf) is a genus of evergreen perennial plants native to warm temperate to tropical East, Southeast, and South Asia. Despite their grasslike appearance, they are not closely related to the true grasses, the Poaceae. The name of the genus is derived from Greek ὄφις ophis, 'snake' and πώγων pogon, 'beard', most probably referring to its leaves and tufted growth. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae. Like many lilioid monocots, it was formerly classified in the Liliaceae.

<i>Veratrum</i> Genus of plants

Veratrum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melanthiaceae. It occurs in damp habitats across much of temperate and subarctic Europe, Asia, and North America.

<i>Gypsophila vaccaria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Gypsophila vaccaria is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native from Portugal and Morocco to the Himalayas, and has been introduced into temperate areas worldwide. Among its many synonyms is Vaccaria hispanica, which was the only species placed in the genus Vaccaria. It is known by several common names including cowherb, cowcockle, cow basil, cow soapwort, and prairie carnation. It is an annual herb with blue-gray, waxy herbage and pale pink flowers.

<i>Veratrum nigrum</i> Species of plant

Veratrum nigrum, the black false hellebore, is a widespread Eurasian species of perennial flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. Despite its common name, V. nigrum is not closely related to the true hellebores, nor does it resemble them.

<i>Panax notoginseng</i> Species of flowering plant

Panax notoginseng is a species of the genus Panax, and it is commonly referred to in English as Chinese ginseng or notoginseng. In Chinese it is called tiánqī, tienchi ginseng, sānqī or sanchi, three-seven root, and mountain plant. P. notoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus as Panax ginseng. In Latin, the word panax means "cure-all", and the family of ginseng plants is one of the best-known herbs.

<i>Liquidambar orientalis</i> Species of tree

Liquidambar orientalis, commonly known as oriental sweetgum or Turkish sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, that occurs as pure stands mainly in the floodplains of southwestern Turkey and on the Greek island of Rhodes.

<i>Styphnolobium japonicum</i> Species of legume

Styphnolobium japonicum, the Japanese pagoda tree is a species of tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae.

<i>Trichosanthes kirilowii</i> Species of flowering plant

Trichosanthes kirilowii is a flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae found particularly in Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, and Shaanxi (China). It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it shares the name guālóu with the related T. rosthornii. It is known as "Chinese cucumber" and "Chinese snake gourd" in English.

<i>Liriope spicata</i> Species of flowering plant

Liriope spicata is a species of low, herbaceous flowering plant from East Asia. Common names include creeping lilyturf, creeping liriope, lilyturf, and monkey grass. This perennial has grass-like evergreen foliage and is commonly used in landscaping in temperate climates as groundcover. Creeping lilyturf has white to lavender flowers which produce single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall. It is one of the most popular groundcovers in the southeastern United States and areas with a similar climate.

<i>Sophora flavescens</i> Species of legume

Sophora flavescens, the shrubby sophora, is a species of plant in the genus Sophora of the family Fabaceae. This genus contains about 52 species, nineteen varieties, and seven forms that are widely distributed in Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific islands. About fifteen of these species have a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebell Arboretum</span>

Bluebell Arboretum is an arboretum and associated plant nursery near the village of Smisby in South Derbyshire, England. It is a Royal Horticultural Society recommended garden, comprising a large selection of rare trees, shrubs and climbers growing in a woodland garden. Planting was started by the owners, Suzette and Robert Vernon in 1992 on what was then a six acre meadow, just under 500 feet above sea level. The arboretum was officially opened by Roy Lancaster, OBE VMH in 1997, and has since been expanded and is now open to the public throughgout the year, excluding Sundays during the winter months.

<i>Brucea javanica</i> Species of plant

Brucea javanica is a shrub in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet javanica is from the Latin, meaning "of Java". Other common names in English include Java brucea and kosam.

<i>Fraxinus chinensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Fraxinus chinensis, the Chinese ash, is a species of flowering trees. Its leaves are used in traditional Chinese medicine for dysentery disorders.

<i>Liquidambar acalycina</i> Species of flowering plant

Liquidambar acalycina, Chang’s sweet gum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Altingiaceae, native to southern China. Growing to 30–50 ft (9.1–15.2 m) tall and 20–30 ft (6.1–9.1 m) broad. It is a medium-sized deciduous tree with three-lobed maple-like leaves that turn red in autumn before falling. It is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers appear on the same plant. The flowers are insignificant, yellow/green in colour, and are followed by small gum-balls that persist on the tree until winter. The wood exudes a sweet-smelling resin when pierced, giving the tree its common name.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Liquidambar L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "USDA GRIN Taxonomy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  4. 1 2 3 Peterson, Lee Allen (1977). Edible Wild Plants. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 214–215. ISBN   0-395-31870-X.
  5. "Liquidambar Linnaeus 1753 (sweetgum)". Fossilworks.org. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  6. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger 2004.
  7. "Sunnyvale, CA - Tree Removal". sunnyvale.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-25.