Sweet Gum Tree Balls Inside

Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua.

Sweet gum tree balls inside. We ve taken hundreds of walks in our neighborhood and have run into the same patches of spiky balls countless times. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter. If you re up for some experimenting sweet gum balls can been used to make a tea from boiling the young green seeds. Birth control injections for sweet gum trees.

The sweet gum s primary liability according to the makers of this list are the thousands of spiny brown seed balls gum balls if you will that it casts upon the ground around it. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. These are a yard nuisance but i ve found a useful purpose for them. Sweet gum balls start out plump and green but they dry as they mature.

The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. The spines become even spinier and holes open up to reveal seeds inside the balls. Processing wild crafted sweet gum tree balls to make homemade tamiflu. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless.

These seeds are food for about 25 species. See more ideas about sweet gum sweet gum tree crafts crafts. According to the lazy landscaper these hard brown spiky balls that can create some serious hazards. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth.

I ve twisted my ankle on them. On our typical route there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls. May 10 2017 explore linda durtschi s board sweet gum tree ball crafts on pinterest. The tree s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity.

However the search is long overdue. The infertile seeds of the sweet gum ball contain shikimic acid which is also contained in the same tree used to make tamiflu.