Gum Tree Spiky Balls

Some of north america s largest native deciduous trees have fruits that are prickly balls.

Gum tree spiky balls. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth. Are sweetgum tree balls edible. This means that only one tree is needed for the flowers to be pollinated and a single tree can produce the spiky fruits even when another sweet gum tree is not in sight. All are common landscape trees and produce spiny pods around their seeds.

If you ve encountered some round spiny balls under a tree or maybe still on the plant and you re wondering what it could be it s likely one of several options. The spiky seed pods from the sweetgum tree are not only fascinating to look at they can actually help out in the garden. The fruits can add ornamental value while they remain on the tree but they create a litter problem when they fall. The hard spiky protuberances can prick your fingers and make it hard work to extract edible seeds.

Buckeye horsechestnut aesculus chestnut castanea or sweet gum liquidambar styraciflua. The infertile seeds of the sweet gum ball contain shikimic acid which is also contained in the same tree used to make tamiflu. Hundreds more lie scattered throughout the grass and spill out onto the alleyway asphalt where most are flattened by car wheels. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless.

The round fruit balls are produced from fertilized flowers. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter. A fast growing tree the sweetgum offers plenty of shade while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on.

Simply roll your picker upper over those spiky balls and watch them as they are captured in the basket. As a monoecious plant a sweet gum bears male and female flowers. To empty simply spread wires and the sweet gum balls are emptied into the trash see our large nut wizard dumper for an inexpensive emptying tool that hooks on to a 5 gallon bucket. But in flu season they re also a source of homemade tamiflu.

Go out with a bucket and fill it with seed pods and in the spring you may just use some. The spiky gum balls of the sweet gum tree are annoying to anyone who steps on them. On this early spring day the tree is still a skeleton although leaf buds are just beginning to emerge and dozens of sweet gum balls dangle from its naked branches like shriveled christmas tree ornaments. If you re up for some experimenting sweet gum balls can been used to make a tea from boiling the young green seeds.