SWEET Gum; GUM TREE (Liquidambar Slyracifiva, 75 to 140 feet. Large tree, with oblong or pyramidal head of short branches. Bark brown, furrowed, scaly on old trees; gray, warty on young trees, twigs with corky ridges. Buds small, hairy-tipped. Leaves cut into 5 to 7 pointed stars, margins saw-toothed, 5 to 7 inches across, waxy, lustrous above, turning red in autumn. Flowers after leaves, monce cious, staminate in hairy racemes, pistillate in swinging balls. Fruits dry globes, diameter 11 inches, made of 2-horned cap sules, containing a few winged seeds. Dist.: Connecticut to
Missouri; south to Florida and Texas, Mexico, and Central America. Preferred habitat, low, swampy ground. Thrives in upland soil, too. Planted for shade and ornament, espe cially for the autumn coloring. The wood is used for railroad ties, paving blocks, shingles, and choice pieces for veneering furniture, under the name "satin walnut."