Sweet Gum Tree Spiky Balls

Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates.

Sweet gum tree spiky balls. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua. Burrs small rocks and yes sweet gum tree balls can cling to the fine hairs between the pads and injure the dog. I ve twisted my ankle on them. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one.

Additionally the sweet gum s spiky gum balls hang conspicuously from the tree s smaller branches sometimes all winter. It is recognizable by the combination of its five pointed star shaped leaves and its hard spiked fruits. We ve taken hundreds of walks in our neighborhood and have run into the same patches of spiky balls countless times. For instance yesterday i finally looked up tree with spiky balls yeah i giggled a little inside at the search terms.

According to the lazy landscaper these hard brown spiky balls that can create some serious hazards. A fast growing tree the sweetgum offers plenty of shade while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. Because sweet gum tree balls are large and covered with sharp spikes they also. The fruit it bears provides food for many animals including squirrels wood ducks whitetail deer birds and beavers.

Let s not forget about the beauty of the sweet gum ball tree itself. 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. On our typical route there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on.

This plant s genus. These compound seed capsules are often confused with the seed heads of the. The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. Birth control injections for sweet gum trees.

It is currently classified in the plant family altingiaceae but was formerly considered a member of the hamamelidaceae. The one major flaw of this deciduous tree is the hundreds of spiny woody. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter.