Gumball Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua 'Gumball'

‘Gumball’ sweetgum is a multi-stemmed shrub that matures after 10 years to 6 feet tall and wide, rounded at the top and tapering to a wide base. It is a member of the witch hazel family (Altingiaceae) and a dwarf cultivar of the sweetgum tree.  

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

'Gumball' is usually grown for its foliage: fragrant, showy leaves that turn yellow, orange, red and purple in the fall. The female flowers give way to spherical, spiny fruiting heads, known as gumballs, that can litter the ground. The hard gumballs persist through the winter and attract birds, but can be messy when they fall. 

Consider planting this cultivar in a lawn or woodland, or in a children’s garden. 

Insects, Diseases, and 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.