Liquidambar styraciflua Palo Alto - American Sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua 'Palo Alto' is a variety of American Sweetgum that is still not widely available, highly appreciated for its very regular pyramid-shaped growth, brightly coloured autumn foliage, and highly decorative bark in winter! It forms a medium-sized, slow-growing tree whose majestic silhouette is accentuated by light-coloured bark, covered with very dense and visible cork layers in winter. Its deciduous light green foliage is smaller than that of the species. In its younger age, it displays purplish tones and reddish petioles, and in autumn, it blazes in shades of orange-red to bright red before falling to the ground. Plant this beautiful tree in the middle of a large lawn or as a hedgerow with other shrubs and trees offering contrasting foliage. It is hardy and likes sunny locations, sheltered from cold winds in a rich, deep, well-drained, moist to wet, and neutral to acidic soil.

The American Sweetgum is a tree of the hamamelidaceae family, which includes many plants which are beautifully coloured in autumn such as Hamamelis, Parrotia, and Loropetalum. This majestic tree is native to North America, specifically the banks of large rivers such as the Mississippi and Ohio, for example. Its name, Liquidambar, comes from the Latin word "liquidus", liquid, and the Arabic word "ambar", which means amber, because of the aromatic amber-coloured resin that flows from its bark. Discovered in 1528, it was introduced to Europe in 1681.

The cultivar 'Palo Alto' is a fairly compact variety that will reach an average height of 18 m in our gardens, with a medium growth rate. Over time, it develops a very vertical trunk topped with a fairly open crown, with a pyramidal habit, with a base diameter reaching about 10 m. In this variety, the lateral branches are harmoniously perpendicular to the trunk. The deciduous foliage is the main asset of this tree. It consists of wide palmate leaves exceeding 10 cm (3.9 in), divided into 5 to 7 slender lobes, with the central lobe longer than the others. The finely-toothed leaves are arranged alternately on the branches. They emerge as tender green with a touch of purple, enhanced by reddish petioles, and in autumn, they turn shades of orange-red to bright red. The insignificant flowering occurs in April-May on subjects aged 25 years and older, in the form of upright male catkins and female pendant glomerules measuring 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) in diameter. After pollination, pom-pom-like fruits form, resembling those of the plane tree. Each fruit is composed of several capsules that contain small winged seeds, similar to maple samaras. The bark of the liquidambar is dark brown, with cork crevices. The lifespan of this beautiful tree is about 150 years.

The 'Palo Alto' liquidambar is perfectly hardy. This tree requires a non-chalky, deep, moist but not waterlogged soil, and a sunny exposure. Once established, it requires no maintenance. It can be installed either as a standalone tree on a large lawn or in a row, along a wide alley or on the property boundary. The Liquidambar styraciflua can be found in parks, where it stands out for its superb autumn colours. You can associate it with other colourful trees such as Ginkgo Biloba, Toona sinensis Flamingo, Nyssa sylvatica, large Japanese maples, Hamamelis, and bald cypress, which all thrive in cool environments and deep soils.

Properties:

The aromatic resin exuded by the bark is also called styrax or liquidambar balm. It was once used in aromatherapy, primarily by indigenous populations, and later, when it arrived in Europe, by cosmetics manufacturers who incorporated it into various preparations such as beauty creams. The wood of the liquidambar, with its reddish-brown colour was widely used in cabinetmaking for the production of precious furniture.