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AMERICAN SWEETGUM

If, like me, you’re from east of the Mississippi and associate trees with leafy maples, this is your Bay Area substitute. Although native to the humid Southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America, American sweetgum thrives in San Francisco’s Mediterranean climate. Its medium green, distinctive maplelike leaves turn yellow, orange, and red in the fall, although the colors are not as brilliant in San Francisco as in warmer inland climates. It is considered a deciduous tree, but some sweetgums retain their old leaves until the following spring, when new leaves arrive, while other specimens are leafless all winter—it just depends on the tree. The reason has to do with the broad native range of the tree; that is, specimens with forebears from the southern part of the tree’s range are more likely to retain their leaves year-round than those with northern ancestors, which adapted to colder winters. American sweetgums have insignificant flowers, followed by round, spiny seed capsules in the winter. This is one of San Francisco’s larger street trees, growing in an oval form to 40–50 feet in height. Pest and disease resistant, this is a great choice for a street tree if you don’t mind some sidewalk damage from its invasive roots. With long, straight trunks, sweetgums are an important timber tree in the Southeast; the wood is used for furniture, cabinets, and veneers.