Liquidambar formosana seed
LATIN NAME: Liquidambar formosana
COMMON NAME: Formosan Sweet Gum
The Formosan sweet gum is the fine, tall, autumn-coloured tree of the warm east, and it is grown for its bold, star-shaped leaves and its brilliant autumn colour. The handsome tree carries the glossy, five-pointed, star-shaped leaves, which turn the rich shades of the red, the orange and the yellow in the autumn, and the spiky, round, woody fruit-balls hang through the winter. The fragrant resin of the tree has a long history of use in the east. It is a fine, generous, dependable tree for the larger garden and the park.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The Formosan sweet gum has a steady place in the plant science, and it has been studied for its bold, star-shaped leaves, its brilliant autumn colour and its fragrant resin. The resin of the tree, which has a long record of use in the east, has been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the useful and the ornamental trees of the warm regions. The spiky, woody fruit-balls and the brilliant autumn display have also made it a favourite of the park and the avenue planting, and the tree is a regular subject of the horticultural journals of the warm world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The Formosan sweet gum is grown for the autumn colour, and the bold, star-shaped leaves turn the rich shades of the red, the orange and the yellow, making it one of the great autumn trees for the warm garden and the park. The fragrant resin of the bark has a long history of use in the east, and the spiky, woody fruit-balls are a fine, curious feature of the winter crown. The tree is a fine, tall, dependable specimen for the larger space, and it has been written about in the horticultural papers for its brilliant autumn show.
The Formosan sweet gum comes from the warm forests of the east of the continent, and it has been grown for the bold, star-shaped leaves, the brilliant autumn colour and the fragrant resin. The resin of the bark has a long history of use in the east, and the spiky, round, woody fruit-balls hang through the winter as a curious feature of the crown. The glossy, five-pointed, star-shaped leaves turn the rich shades of the red, the orange and the yellow in the autumn, making it one of the great autumn trees for the warm garden and the park. It is a fine, tall, dependable tree for the larger space.
To grow the Formosan sweet gum from seed, chill the small, winged seeds in a little damp sand for a cold month, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings push through in good time and grow on into strong young trees. With the sun, the room and the well-drained soil, the brilliant red and orange autumn leaves will be there in a few years.
Tall fast growing conical deciduous tree similar in appearance to the more common North American cousin but with tri-lobed leaves. Exhibits beautiful autumn colour of red orange and purple, leaves may persist in to winter before falling. Young growth is burgundy in colour. Produces a fragrant sap used in Chinese medicine as an antiseptic and in perfumery. The sent may be released when trimming shoot and branches.