Maple Tree Leaf Vs Sweet Gum Leaf

This tree like the red maple can also reach a height of 50 feet.

Maple tree leaf vs sweet gum leaf. The leaves are lobed and the flowers are greenish yellow. In autumn the leaves turn red orange yellow and purple. Both are hardwoods much prized by furniture makers. You may already be familiar with the distinctive leaf shape associated with most members of the genus acer.

Most maple species have simple as opposed to compound leaves with multiple lobes the veins of which originate from a single roughly central point on the leaf. It is not similar to other maples because of the larger leaves milky sap and horizontal winged fruit. There is a maple leaf on canada s flag because maple trees are the main tree that grows there. Leaf shape very similar to sugar maple but more ornate.

The sweetgum is botanically called liquidambar styraciflua. If you are looking for a large long lived yard tree both maple and sweetgum are good choices. Although native to eastern north america it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range. And they have an opposite leaf arrangement.

The tree is a deciduous tree it will be up to 45 m 148 ft high. The leaf apex is long tapered. Trees are the backbone of any good landscape plan. Each lobe is less than four inches in size.

Trees vary in height the shape of their canopies type of foliage fall color flowers or fruit as well as other. See more pictures of trees. Each leaf is a shiny dark green above and paler below with small hairs. A milky sap appears when the leaf is broken off of stem at the petiole.

This sap is not found in sugar maple leaves and distinguishes the two species. It can be an excellent shade tree in the right location away from foot traffic where the spiky gumball fruits will not be an annoyance. Description of sweet gum tree. Sweet gum tree has maple like leaves that turn yellow to red in the fall.

The tree likes sun at the location and the soil should be sandy loamy to loamy. The leaves are unpleasantly aromatic if crushed or bruised. If an appropriate space is available check out the cold hardy cultivar moraine which is recommended for northern illinois. Sweet gum tree is a tall majestic tree that s difficult to beat for symmetrical beauty in a landscape setting.

Maple and sweetgum leaves may confuse some foliage fans. Instead look at reliable indicators for accurate maple tree identification like leaf shape and bark. There is no national flower for canada but there is a national leaf which is the maple leaf. Facts on the sweet gum tree.

The maple is a genus with about 128 different species including the vine maple acer circinatum hornbeam maple acer carpinifolium and paperbark maple acer griseum. Leaf margins are finely serrate. Other trees with maple like leaves the sycamore sweetgum and yellow poplar have leaves that are alternate in arrangement.