Liquidambar styraciflua 'ROTUNDILOBA'

Sweetgums are highly ornamental trees or shrubs which have been on top of the popularity list for centuries. These come from North America from where they spread to nearly whole world: from colder parts of temperate regions to southern countries where summer temperatures easily reach 40°C. Their giveaway are star-shaped leaves which can easily be mistaken for maple leaves, and their autumn colours.

We are happy to introduce one of the most beautiful and very rare variety of sweetgum called Rotundiloba. The Latin name says it all: with rounded lobes. Its leaves show distinctly rounded lobes on 3 segments of a 5-lobed star-shaped leaves. They are deciduous, deep green, glossy, turning various shades of red, purple orange and yellow in autumn. Their shape resembles fig tree foliage.

Rotundiloba is supposedly sterile, non-fruiting. It forms a pyramidal habit as a large shrub or a mid-sized tree. Pruning is not necessary but can be done at the end of winter before the buds burst out. You can keep it in a smaller size or develop a required canopy shape by regular cutting.

Sweet gums are soil tolerant but prefer semi-fertile, deep, and well-drained soil that should be slightly acidic to neutral and moist. Once established they can take both temporary flooding and drought. The location should be sunny as it does not tolerate shaded areas. If you buy a plant taller than say 1.5m stake it well for at least 2 years. Plants older than 3 years are fully hardy to -27°C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 11-01-2011