Sweet Gum Tree in Autumn
by Rebecca Carr
Title
Sweet Gum Tree in Autumn
Artist
Rebecca Carr
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
Liquidambar styraciflua, also known as the American sweetgum tree, can grow to heights of 50 to 70 feet. The sweetgum shown in this photo is very young, which is why its five pointed leaves are still so slender. This lovely tree has foliage that turns red in the fall. Other names for this angularly branched tree are redgum, hazel pine or alligatorwood. The bark of a mature tree is rough and deeply grooved, growing parallel to the edges of the trunk - a configuration that some people have likened to an alligator's shape. Many people are familiar with the round, spiky seed capsule that falls from the American sweetgum tree in the fall and winter. Some even see it as a nuisance, but the seeds contain a naturally occurring ingredient, shikimic acid, which is used in making Tamiflu. (Tamiflu is a medication used for treating influenza.) In addition, the trees' resin has been used for centuries to flavor tobacco, most notable when Mayan Emperor Montezuma shared a smoke with Spanish conquistador, Hernando Cortes. Not bad for a commonly found tree!
Uploaded
June 1st, 2019
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