In some cases, this can slow the process of decomposition by twelve to eighteen months. We offer a wide range of residential and commercial tree services for all tree species . mexicana. Both sweet gum and maple have colorful leaves in spring. Trees of Pennsylvania and the Northeast by Charles Fergus covers over fifty trees found in our region. imagelinks[4]="http://www.ezboardwalk.com/" Sweet Gums grow quite tall- 75 ft . Answer (1 of 3): Sweet gum is in a different family than is maple. The deciduous leaves are maplelike in outline, with five pointed lobes and lightly toothed margins. Silver Maple ( Acer saccharinum) A maple with deeply-lobed leaves, named for the silvery color of the backside of its leaves. Sweet Gum trees present a long-lasting kaleidoscopic display in the Autumn with spectacularly brilliant colors ranging from red to purple to yellow. Both trees have strong branches that are perfect for building houses and ships. we don't have the autumn display many of you get. Young trees are pyramidal; older trees more oval. The American sweetgum grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained, wet and clay soils. "Liquidambar Styraciflua L." Southern Research Station, U.S. Forest Service. The leaves are dark green color. Sweetgum leaves are star-shaped with five (sometimes seven) long, pointed lobes whose veins connect to a notched base. Although the leaves of the Ginkgo tree do not contain any harmful ingredients to plants, they are extremely waxy. The edges of the leaf are jagged and the veins are prominent. The American sweetgum with its star-shaped leaves, neatly compact crown, interesting fruit, and twigs with unique corky growths called wings is an attractive shade tree. Manna Gum Tree, the bark peels off in strips. As lignin decomposes, it actually consumes nitrogen to help the process. Deep, glossy green star-shaped leaves mark the Sweetgum. One of the most attractive native trees around. Hence, the longer it will take to break down in a compost pile. The cool thing about finding a tree with opposite leaf arrangement is there arent a ton of tree species that have it. Leaf Shape: Slender with a pointed tip. As you will see below, one of the common denominators of good leaves versus bad leaves is their lignin level. 7. As with hackberry, most people saddled with this garbage tree live with it because no other trees will grow there. 6. Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes make wonderful treats) Tomato plants- in moderation (mine eat them with no problems) Tree of Heaven. */ The ceremonial planting of the first three trees occurred near the Flight 93 National Memorials visitor shelter and memorial walk in 2011. Illustration uses linear gradients. They can also easily be incorporated into garden and flowerbed soil to help recharge depleted nutrient levels. I looked at dozens of descriptions, pictures and measurements before learning that Sweetgum has a distinct smell. Aside from the recognizable star-shaped leaves with serrated edges on long petioles, there are other distinctive traits that makes this tree easy to identify. Those reddish-pink, winged seed things you used to throw in the air and watch them flutter to the ground? ,