Liquidambar styraciflua 'Gumball'

Gumball sweetgum is a cultivar of L. styraciflua, a woody, deciduous, flowering tree often found in river bottoms and swamps in North Carolina. The 'Gumball' cultivar is a round, dwarf, compact shrub version of the parent plant with a great purple-red fall leaf color and spring flowers. 'Gumball' is multi-stemmed, maturing after 10 years to 6 feet tall and wide, rounded at the top and tapers to a wide base.  

'Gumball' does best in moist, well-drained soil. with full sun to partial shade and neutral to acidic soil. It is resistant to fire, heat, drought, soil compaction, deer and rabbits. It has a shallow root system and should be planted in spring because roots take three to four months to recover from the shock of transplanting.

'Gumball' is not a street tree but is usually grown for its foliage; regular-sized leaves with yellow, orange, red and purple fall color. The female flowers give way to spherical, spiny fruiting heads, known as gumballs, that can litter the ground.

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems:

Webworms, caterpillars, borers, and scale may cause problems in some areas. Leaf spots, wood rot, and bleeding necrosis may occur. Iron chlorosis may occur in alkaline soils.

VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Liquidambar styraciflua.