What Does Sweetgum Tree Look Like

To identify sweet gum trees, look for large star-shaped lobed green leaves that turn spectacular autumn red, yellow, and orange colors. Sweetgum tree bark looks light gray with vertical fissured ridges. Spiky gumballs are another identifying feature of sweetgum trees.

What are sweetgum trees good for?

Sweet gum wood is commercially used for electronic cabinetry, furniture, doors, millwork and paneling. It is also used to make baskets, railroad ties, crates and pallets. Sweet gum wood is also used to make plywood, veneer and upholstered furniture frames.

What does the leaf of a sweetgum tree look like?

The new twigs every year are reddish brown in color and sometimes covered in corky “wings.” The leaves of the American sweetgum look like glossy five-pointed stars (though some leaves can have up to seven points). … In autumn, the green leaves turn yellow, red, orange or purple depending on the cultivar.