Sweet Gum Tree Balls Edible

How to get a sweetgum tree to stop producing balls.

Sweet gum tree balls edible. It takes the sweet gum tree 20 to 30 years to mature enough to produce its fruit. The green pods contain small aromatic seeds which when chewed after a meal help with digestion. In comparison the mildly bitter sweet gum is definitely sweeter. This large tree provides shade in the summer gorgeous orange red and yellow leaves in the fall and is a great privacy barrier.

The sweet gum tree a forty foot tall sweet gum tree rises from the northeast corner of my back yard. What are sweetgum balls. 50 assorted sweet gum balls seed pods free shipping wreath making flower arranging fairy houses natural craft supply beaditudes4u. From shop beaditudes4u.

It s called sweet gum to separate it from a different species altogether the black gum nyssa sylvatica which is extremely sour and bitter. 5 out of 5 stars 122 122 reviews 7 00 free shipping favorite add to american sweet gum low maintenance ornamental shade tree sweetgum bare root thejamescanteenstore. The fruit it bears provides food for many animals including squirrels wood ducks whitetail deer birds and beavers. North american distribution attributed to u.

Sweet gum trees also have unusual fruit. 4 5 out of 5 stars 45 45. The trees spike ball fruit is almost as telltale for identification as the star shaped leaves. While you wait the tree has much to offer.

In its fresh liquid form it was used to flavor chewing gum up into the 1920 s. The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant bitter chewing gum. They are hard round balls about 1 1 2 inches in diameter and covered with sharp little bristles that can hurt a dog s paws. You can even get creative and use them to make holiday trinkets or decorative balls for bowls.

The somewhat sweet sap was allowed to dry some and then used as a chewing gum. 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. While they re not edible the balls can double as spiky mulch to keep animals away from young plants. Despite its name the gum is not sweet.

The sweet gum got its name for the resinous sap that results when you score its bark.