Maple Tree Leaf Vs Sweet Gum Leaf

Each lobe is less than four inches in size.

Maple tree leaf vs sweet gum leaf. The leaves are lobed and the flowers are greenish yellow. There is no national flower for canada but there is a national leaf which is the maple leaf. Although native to eastern north america it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range. See more pictures of trees.

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. Each leaf is a shiny dark green above and paler below with small hairs. Leaf petioles are slender often 4 inches or more in length. It is not similar to other maples because of the larger leaves milky sap and horizontal winged fruit.

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. If you are looking for a large long lived yard tree both maple and sweetgum are good choices. The leaf apex is long tapered. Maple and sweetgum leaves may confuse some foliage fans.

The sweetgum is botanically called liquidambar styraciflua. In autumn the leaves turn red orange yellow and purple. Trees are the backbone of any good landscape plan. There is a maple leaf on canada s flag because maple trees are the main tree that grows there.

Description of sweet gum tree. Leaf shape very similar to sugar maple but more ornate. A milky sap appears when the leaf is broken off of stem at the petiole. Sweet gum is known for its unique star shaped leaves with outstanding yellow red and purple fall color.

Leaf margins are finely serrate. This tree like the red maple can also reach a height of 50 feet. 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. The leaf bases are flattened or slightly heart shaped.

This sap is not found in sugar maple leaves and distinguishes the two species. Other trees with maple like leaves the sycamore sweetgum and yellow poplar have leaves that are alternate in arrangement. 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.

If an appropriate space is available check out the cold hardy cultivar moraine which is recommended for northern illinois. And they have an opposite leaf arrangement. The tree likes sun at the location and the soil should be sandy loamy to loamy. The tree is a deciduous tree it will be up to 45 m 148 ft high.

Instead look at reliable indicators for accurate maple tree identification like leaf shape and bark. Facts on the sweet gum tree. Sweet gum tree is a tall majestic tree that s difficult to beat for symmetrical beauty in a landscape setting.