Liquidambar styraciflua 'BURGUNDY' Sweetgum
Liquidambar
The genus Liquidambar includes approximately 15 species of deciduous trees naturally found in the temperate zones of North America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. The best-known species, the American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), originates from the southeastern United States, where it forms part of mixed deciduous forests. The genus was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, but the first European record of sweetgum dates back to 1615, when Spanish physician and naturalist Francisco Hernández documented it during his expedition to New Spain (Virreinato de Nueva España), a vast colonial territory of the Spanish Empire in North and Central America with its capital in Ciudad de México (present-day Mexico City). He described it as a tall tree with aromatic resin resembling liquid amber – hence the genus name liquidambar. Although fossil evidence confirms the presence of sweetgums in Europe as early as the Tertiary period, today they occur here only as introduced ornamental trees.
Sweetgums are often mistaken for maples by laypeople due to their similarly shaped, deeply lobed, palmate leaves, most commonly with five tips. What you definitely won’t confuse, however, is their scent when crushed – thanks to the tree’s signature aromatic resin, which is not only fragrant but also slightly sweet. Indigenous peoples of North America – such as the Cherokee and Choctaw – collected the resin, let it harden, and chewed it as a natural treat. Its somewhat sweet taste is what gave the tree its English name sweetgum. And when it comes to autumn foliage, sweetgums are clear winners, offering a wide range of vivid colours and holding onto their leaves longer than most other deciduous trees. In regions like New England or the Appalachian Mountains, they are among the main attractions of so-called "leaf peeping" – autumn trips to places with plentiful of autumn-coloured trees, now often organized by travel agencies. It’s the American counterpart to Japan’s momijigari tradition – just with hamburgers instead of jasmine rice.
While Burgundy is one of the US bestsellers among sweetgums, in Europe it is still a rookie. Its great advantage lies in its exceptionally intense autumn colouration combined with a corkily furrowed trunk and branches. It is a medium‑sized, deciduous tree with attractive, bright green summer foliage, divided into five lobes; on the largest leaves small “horns” may appear on three of the main lobes. Even a light touch of the foliage releases the pleasant scent of sweetgum resin, which permeates the whole plant. The autumn colours are deep purplish crimson and rank among the longest‑lasting of all sweetgums – in California they have been recorded persisting on the tree until January. The habit is broadly pyramidal, the tree usually reaches 10–15 m, with a specimen at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in the United Kingdom recorded at 13.5 m in 2018.
The cultivar Burgundy was selected in 1963 by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in California and has since become one of the best‑known sweetgum cultivars in the United States. Its popularity led to the introduction of further clones with similar autumn colouring: Burgundy Blush (Willoway Nurseries, USA), expected to produce fewer fruits; Dark Autumn (Larch Cottage Nurseries, Cumbria); Summer Storm, whose leaves in full sun turn blackish from late summer; Black Beauty, represented at the Cherry Tree Arboretum in Shropshire; and Burgundy Spider, sold by the Handy Nursery Company in Oregon and represented at the Dawes Arboretum in Ohio. These forms demonstrate the rich variability of sweetgums and how often spontaneous mutations or selections are marketed under new names, all sharing the same essential trait – dark purplish, long‑lasting autumn colours.
Sweetgums are relatively tolerant when it comes to planting sites, but they do have preferences if you want them to thrive and look their best. Always give them full sun – adequate light is the key to vibrant autumn colours. They’ll cope with ordinary garden soil, but they’ll be more vigorous and attractive in acidic, deep soil that doesn’t dry out completely. Once established, they are impressively drought-tolerant – they can even draw moisture from dew condensed on their leaves overnight. On the other hand, they can also handle more water and we’ve found they’ll grow even tolerate occasional waterlogging which results in turning colours and shedding the leaves much earlier than others. Standard forms with a trunk require a strong support – a staking set for the first three years until they establish. The soil above the roots should be kept free of turf or competing plants – ideally mulched. Pruning or shaping, if needed, is best done in late winter or in midsummer. Very young plants should be protected from severe frost, as their hardiness is around –20 °C, but mature trees and shrubs with lignified tissues can easily withstand temperatures down to –29 °C (USDA zone 5).
Last update 26-02-2009; 16-11-2025
