Detailed Explanation of the Planting Methods and Technical Key Points for Sweetgum

Sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana Hance), a deciduous tree, grows up to 30 m tall, with a maximum diameter at breast height of up to 1 m, and grayish-brown bark. It prefers a warm and humid climate, likes light, and tolerates drought and poor soil. It is produced in China's Qinling Mountains and the provinces south of the Huai River, and is also found in northern Vietnam, Laos and southern Korea. The resin is used medicinally to detoxify and relieve pain, stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration; the roots, leaves and fruits are also used as medicine, with effects of dispelling wind and dampness, and unblocking collaterals and invigorating blood circulation. The wood is somewhat hard and can be used for making furniture and crates for valuable goods.

Sweetgum and maple not only have similar names, but also similar red leaves that decorate autumn and similar trunk shapes, so many people easily confuse them. In fact, these tree species are completely different. Sweetgum belongs to the genus Liquidambar in the family Hamamelidaceae, while what we customarily call maple belongs to the genus Acer in the family Aceraceae. So how do you distinguish them?

Generally, the difference can be seen from the leaves: three for sweetgum, five for maple. The one with three lobes is sweetgum, while the one with five lobes is maple.

Of course, some maple varieties have leaves with three or seven lobes, which can be easily confused. So when counting leaf lobes does not work, you can also look at their fruits. The fruit of Acer is a samara, each fruit having one wing, with two fruits growing together, much like a pair of wings; while the fruit of sweetgum is a round capsule, like a little spiky ball, especially cute. Their fruit characteristics make them very easy to distinguish.

In addition, the red leaf display of sweetgum and maple in autumn is also somewhat different. The former has less anthocyanin, and the leaves drop soon after changing color, so the branches and leaves appear withered, yellow and sparse; the latter has relatively concentrated anthocyanin, and the leaves fall more slowly, so it can show a scene of the whole tree turning red, lasting as long as two to three weeks, very spectacular.

The main use of maple is as an ornamental tree species. In comparison, sweetgum has extremely wide uses. It can not only be cultivated as a garden tree or street tree, but is also a superior material for construction and shipbuilding. People in Jiangnan often use sweetgum as roof beams when building houses, hence the saying, "A thousand-year pine in the water, a thousand-year sweetgum in the air."