Sweet Gum - Liquidambar styraciflua
First growth of this I have seen in the area, shot taken back on 4/10 of this year. Still a bit behind on some of my postings.
The common name of Sweet Gum refers to an aromatic balsam or gum that exudes from wounds to the tree. In further reference to this gum, the genus name basically means liquid amber. This gum has been used in the past for a variety of purposes, including chewing gum, incense, perfumes, folk medicines and flavorings.
The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. Despite its name the gum is not sweet. It’s called Sweet Gum to separate it from a different species altogether, the Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, which is extremely sour and bitter. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. Dr. Francois Couplan in his book The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America states on page 60 the gum “it has antiseptic qualities.”
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDe...
Sweet Gum - Liquidambar styraciflua
First growth of this I have seen in the area, shot taken back on 4/10 of this year. Still a bit behind on some of my postings.
The common name of Sweet Gum refers to an aromatic balsam or gum that exudes from wounds to the tree. In further reference to this gum, the genus name basically means liquid amber. This gum has been used in the past for a variety of purposes, including chewing gum, incense, perfumes, folk medicines and flavorings.
The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant, bitter chewing gum. Despite its name the gum is not sweet. It’s called Sweet Gum to separate it from a different species altogether, the Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, which is extremely sour and bitter. In comparison the mildly bitter Sweet Gum is definitely sweeter. Dr. Francois Couplan in his book The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America states on page 60 the gum “it has antiseptic qualities.”
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDe...