Liquidambar styraciflua
Liquidambar
Common names: Liquidambar tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liquidambar tree
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Liquidambar, botanically Liquidambar styraciflua, is distinguished by its maple‑like, five‑to‑seven‑lobed leaves that can be mistaken for maple. Its true show comes in autumn, when the crown displays a spectrum from yellow through orange to deep red and violet, a color display hard to beat in a garden. As a medium‑to‑large tree it needs space from the start, as it grows tall and develops a slender, conical crown. The corky, furrowed bark and spiky, globular fruit clusters give it structure even in winter, making it a year‑round focal point.
Care instructions
Plant the Liquidambar in a sunny to partially shaded spot with deep, slightly acidic to neutral soil; it tends to develop chlorosis from iron deficiency on calcareous, very dry soils. Keep the root zone evenly moist in the first years after planting, especially during dry summer weeks from June onward. Pruning is rarely necessary; remove only dead or crossing branches in late winter to preserve the natural crown shape. A mulch layer of leaf litter or bark humus around the trunk retains soil moisture and suppresses competing vegetation. Because the roots can spread shallowly, plant it away from paths and utilities, preferably in the fall after week 40 when the soil is still warm.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, loamy, moist, nutrient-rich, lime-avoiding
Feeding
Medium feeder
Pruning
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