Plant Finder

Other Names:  American Sweet Gum

Description:

A very narrow variety that can be many multiples higher than it is wide; a stunning columnar tree perfect for articulation or garden accent; fall colours are a striking orange yellow and red

As Seen at The Morton Arboretum

These woody plants are found at The Morton Arboretum in their commonly visited spaces including the Visitor Center, Meadow Lake, and Children's Garden. They have proved to be hardy, beautiful, long-lived plants that easily fit into the home landscape.

Ornamental Features

Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The lobed palmate leaves turn an outstanding orange in the fall. However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up.

Landscape Attributes

Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum is a deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance tree that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy

Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Slender Silhouette Sweet Gum will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.