Quick Facts
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Height at Maturity: 60-75 Feet
Usage: Vibrant Foliage
Shipped As: Bare-root
Planting Zones:
Product Details
Sweetgum is one of the most adaptable hardwoods in the Southeast. It colonizes old fields, bottomlands and upland slopes alike, and it delivers some of the richest fall color of any native tree. Tennessee Wholesale Nursery grows sweet gum seedlings (Liquidambar styraciflua) for reforestation crews, mitigation contractors, municipal forestry programs and landscape firms. They ship bare root in bundles of 100, 500 and 1,000.
Sweetgum in Brief
- Scientific name: Liquidambar styraciflua
- Other names: American sweetgum, redgum, star-leaved gum, bilsted
- Family: Altingiaceae
- USDA zones: 5 to 9
- Mature size: 60 to 75 feet tall, 40 to 50 feet wide, pyramidal when young
- Growth rate: Moderate to fast
- Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Moist, deep soils; adapts to clay, loam and sand
- Leaves: Glossy, five- to seven-pointed stars
- Fall color: Purple, burgundy, scarlet, orange and gold, often on one tree
- Available grades: 6-12 inch, 12-18 inch, 6-24 inch row run
Reforestation and Bottomland Use
Sweetgum is a pioneer species. It establishes quickly on open, disturbed ground and grows well with full sunlight, which is why foresters use it to reclaim cleared fields and bottomland. It is a natural component of southern floodplain forests and is facultative in wetland ratings, so it fits the higher, better-drained ridges of a mitigation site as well as the transition to upland. For timber growers, sweetgum is a major commercial hardwood used for veneer, plywood, pulp and furniture stock.
Landscape and Municipal Plantings
Its symmetrical, pyramidal form, glossy summer leaves and long fall color season make sweetgum a reliable choice for parks, campuses and large commercial grounds. In winter, the spiky round seed balls hang on bare branches and add texture. For DOT and roadside plantings, sweetgum establishes well on graded and compacted soils.
Food and Cover for Wildlife
Sweetgum seeds are a winter staple for American goldfinches, pine siskins, chickadees, wild turkeys and squirrels. The dense summer canopy shelters songbird nests, and the tree serves as a larval host for the luna moth.
Grade Comparison
| Grade | Typical buyer |
|---|---|
| 6-12 inch | Nursery growers lining out; high-volume reforestation |
| 12-18 inch | Landscape contractors and municipal installs |
| Row run 6-24 inch | Field and bottomland planting at the lowest cost per stem |
Reforestation spacing of 9 by 9 feet places about 540 seedlings per acre. For shade trees, allow 35 to 45 feet between trees.
Mix It With
On bottomland, sweetgum pairs well with cherrybark oak, willow oak and sycamore. On upland sites, combine it with tulip poplar and southern red oak. Browse more wholesale trees.
Sweet Gum Seedling FAQs
How fast does sweet gum grow?
Sweetgum grows at a moderate to fast rate, typically 1 to 2 feet per year on sunny sites with moist soil.
Where does sweetgum grow best?
It thrives in full sun on deep, moist soils, including floodplains and old fields, and it adapts to clay and sandy ground.
What zones are sweet gum seedlings suited to?
USDA zones 5 through 9. Find your zone with our zone finder.
Is sweetgum used for timber?
Yes. Sweetgum is one of the most important commercial hardwoods in the South, used for veneer, plywood, furniture and pulp.
When do sweet gum seedlings ship?
They are lifted dormant and ship in November.
Trusted Since 1959
Our family has grown trees in Altamont, Tennessee, since Roscoe Tate founded the nursery in 1959. Tennessee Wholesale Nursery is the wholesale division of TN Nursery, and our stock has been supplied for the Washington Monument grounds and Arlington National Cemetery. Seedlings travel in sealed bundles with hydrogel-treated roots that stay moist for up to 12 days. Get volume pricing through our wholesale quote form.