Sweetgum ‘Rotundiloba’ is a woody, deciduous tree in the Sweetgum family (Altingiaceae). It was introduced by J. C. Raulston in 1997 and is distinguished by a lack of the spiny, messy “gumball” fruits its parent plant is known for. This tree will grow 60 to 75 feet tall and spread 20- 40 feet wide with a open pyramidal shape. Fruitless sweetgum requires full sun to partial shade and acidic, well-drained soil. It is not as cold-hardy as the species but is moderately drought and salt-tolerant. Showy fall foliage can be an array of colors from golden yellow to purple to burgundy reds. Its bark has the corky projections characteristic of sweetgum. A shade or street tree is a good use for this plant as well as a specimen in a lawn. Avoid placing it near driveways or sidewalks due to its aggressive root system. VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for " Trees, Shrubs and Conifers " a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Liquidambar styraciflua .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 60 ft. 0 in. - 75 ft. 0 in. | Width: 20 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Open; Pyramidal
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Palmatifid
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
4-8 inch wide and long star-shaped leaves are alternate, simple and entire with palmate venation. The 5-lobes are rounded at the tips. Fall color is variable and can be yellow to reds.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower detail
Rarely blooms
Fruit detail
Rarely produces fruit
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
The gray-brown bark is deeply furrowed
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Branches are covered with characteristic corky projections.