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Formosan Gum

Liquidambar formosana

Also called Chinese Sweet Gum, Formosan Sweet Gum, Formosan Sweetgum

Formosan Gum
Photo: Yoiyoi_kancho, Public domain

Formosan gum is a large deciduous tree from East and Southeast Asia, grown for its three-lobed leaves that turn red in autumn. It needs moist soil and full sun to light shade, and it has aggressive roots, so give it plenty of space.

Family
Altingiaceae (Altingi family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil consistently moist, especially when young; water deeply during dry spells.
Soil
Moist, well-drained loam or clay loam; tolerates a range of soil types.
Temperature
Hardy in warm temperate climates; protect young trees from frost below about -15 °C.
How easy
Easy
Native range
S. Korea, Taiwan, C. & S. China to N. Vietnam
Climate
temperate

About

Liquidambar formosana, commonly known as the Formosan gum, Chinese sweet gum and Formosa sweet gum, is a species of tree in the family Altingiaceae native to East and Southeast Asia.

Where it grows

Liquidambar formosana grows mostly in woodland in warm temperate zones. It requires moist soil and can grow in light to no shade areas. It is found in Hong Kong, Central and Southern China, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos and Vietnam.

Other Liquidambar plants

Chang’s Sweet Gum · Liquidambar cambodiana · Liquidambar caudata · Mountain Litchi · Liquidambar chingii · Liquidambar excelsa · Liquidambar gracilipes · Liquidambar multinervis · Liquidambar obovata · Oriental Sweetgum · Liquidambar poilanei · Liquidambar siamensis

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Liquidambar formosana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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