Liquidambar styraciflua 'NAREE'

Sweet gums are highly ornamental trees or shrubs which have been on top of the popularity list for centuries. They come from North America from where they spread to almost the entire world: from colder parts of temperate regions to southern countries where summer temperatures easily reach 40 °C. Their give-away are star-shaped leaves which can easily be mistaken for maple leaves, and their autumn colours which are simply breathtaking.

Naree sweet gum was found as a spontaneous mutation of the species in Australia and did not reach Europe until after 2000 – it was first introduced by the Junker’s Nursery from Milverton, United Kingdom, in 2002. It belongs among a few unique varieties with yellow leaves. These are deciduous, broadly palmate, not too deeply cut, yet the tips are conspicuous and resemble a maple leaf. They lack additional notches at the edges, which in other varieties evoke a resemblance to cut-leaved maples (dissectum group). In spring they emerge bright yellow to orange yellow, with the arrival of hot weather in summer the colour changes to chartreuse or even yellow-green (in moist soils), and in autumn they turn golden again and begin to blush red like a shy schoolgirl.

It is a deciduous tree or a tall shrub with upright branches and slower growth compared to the species (about 30 cm per year). It naturally forms a regularly pyramidal shape and exhibits dense branching even without pruning. You can grow it as a shrub feathered from the ground, but it can also be trained into a tree with a single leader. It is easy to shape and can be kept smaller by pruning at the end of winter. Once you give it a desired form it does not usually go wild to spoil it for a long time. Another nice feature is the fruit. Formed in about 3 cm wide spiny spheres they can be quite attractive to look at and a bit irritating when stepped on barefoot once they have hardened up, if not cleared from pavements or lawns in spring.

Sweet gums are quite soil adaptable but prefer semi-fertile, deep, evenly moist but well-drained soil that should be acidic or at least neutral. It will not thrive on chalk or lime. Once established they can take both temporary flooding and drought. The more acidic and moist soil you can provide (by adding peat and mulching the roots with bark) the better autumn colours can be expected. 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 minimum of 2 or rather 3 years. Plants older than 3 years are fully hardy to about -27 °C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 08-11-2021