sweet gum

sweet gum
1. a tall, aromatic tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, of the eastern U.S., having star-shaped leaves and fruits in rounded, burlike clusters.
2. the hard reddish-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.
3. the amber balsam exuded by this tree, used in the manufacture of perfumes and medicines. Also called red gum (for defs. 1, 2).
[1690-1700, Amer.]

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▪ plant
 any of about four species of flowering plants within the genus Altingia, family Altingiaceae, native to North America and Asia and valued for resin, timber, and ornament.

      Sweet gum trees have alternate, sharply (three- to seven-lobed) palmate leaves and bear upright spikes of greenish male flowers and round, drooping clusters of female flowers on the same tree. Spiny, dark-brown balls of seeds develop and often persist through the winter. The American sweet gum, or bilsted (A. styraciflua), which sometimes reaches 45 metres (150 feet) in moist lowlands but is usually half that height at maturity, is grown for its handsome foliage, shade, and scarlet autumnal colour. It is also valued for its heartwood, called red gum or satin walnut, which is used for quality furniture. The trees are tapped for liquidambar balm, though a more fragrant gum is collected from the Oriental sweet gum (A. orientalis). The Formosan gum (A. formosana), with three-lobed leaves, is widely grown as a garden tree in mild climates.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sweet gum — Sweet Sweet, a. [Compar. {Sweeter}; superl. {Sweetest}.] [OE. swete, swote, sote, AS. sw[=e]te; akin to OFries. sw[=e]te, OS. sw[=o]ti, D. zoet, G. s[ u]ss, OHG. suozi, Icel. s[ae]tr, s[oe]tr, Sw. s[ o]t, Dan. s[ o]d, Goth. suts, L. suavis, for… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sweet gum — sweet′ gum′ n. 1) pln a tall, aromatic tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, of the witch hazel family, native to the eastern U.S., with star shaped leaves and fruits in rounded, burlike clusters 2) pln the hard reddish brown wood of this tree, used for …   From formal English to slang

  • sweet gum — n a No. American tree of the genus Liquidambar (L. styraciflua) with a round spiny brown fruit cluster and an inner bark that is the source of American storax …   Medical dictionary

  • sweet gum — [ US ˈ. .] n a tree with hard wood and groups of seeds like ↑prickly balls, common in North America …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sweet gum — ☆ sweet gum n. 1. a large North American tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) of the witch hazel family, with alternate maplelike leaves, spiny fruit balls, and fragrant juice 2. the wood of this tree 3. STORAX (n. 1) …   English World dictionary

  • sweet gum — noun 1. a North American tree of the genus Liquidambar having prickly spherical fruit clusters and fragrant sap • Syn: ↑sweet gum tree, ↑bilsted, ↑red gum, ↑American sweet gum, ↑Liquidambar styraciflua • Hypernyms: ↑liquidambar …   Useful english dictionary

  • sweet-gum — tikrasis dervamedis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Altingijinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis augalas (Liquidambar styraciflua), paplitęs Šiaurės ir Pietų Amerikoje. Iš jo gaunami eterinis aliejus ir derva. atitikmenys: lot. Liquidambar… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • sweet gum — noun Date: 1700 1. a North American tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) of the witch hazel family with palmately lobed glossy green leaves, corky twigs, a round spiny brown fruit cluster, and hard wood 2. the smooth reddish brown wood of the sweet gum …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • sweet gum — /ˈswit gʌm/ (say sweet gum) noun → liquidambar (def. 1) …  

  • Sweet Gum Stable — Infobox nrhp | name =Sweet Gum Stable nrhp type = caption = location= New Albany, Indiana lat degrees = 38 | lat minutes = 16 | lat seconds = 48.52 | lat direction = N long degrees = 85 | long minutes = 49 | long seconds = 46.56 | long direction …   Wikipedia

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