Gum Tree Spiky Balls

Trees with spiky balls seed pods.

Gum tree spiky balls. Are sweet gum tree balls harmful to a dog s feet. Sweet gum trees are considered a pioneer species because they are often the first trees to repopulate an area. The round fruit balls are produced from fertilized flowers. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter.

Sycamore trees platanus spp have round 1 1 2 inch diameter spiky looking balls but the spikes aren t fierce and sharp. Although they may look like prickly little seeds sweet gum tree balls are actually the fruit of the. As a monoecious plant a sweet gum bears male and female flowers. Additionally the sweet gum s spiky gum balls hang conspicuously from the tree s smaller branches sometimes all winter.

Sweet gum trees produce these prickly little balls sweet gum fruit. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on. Fall color is variable but can be quite dramatic with a combination of yellows reds and purples. The fragrant leaves are green in the summer and brilliant.

These compound seed capsules are often confused with the seed heads of the. Spiky ball pumpkin sweet gumprimitive antiquesfront door decorhappy fallpine conesdoor wreathsburlap wreathoutdoor gardenssomething to do growing in my yard is a sweet gum tree. Sweet gum trees are excellent shade trees. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth.

By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. They dangle from branches on long stems. Sweet gum sweet gum has glossy green leaves with five lobes similar to a sugar maple. Sweet gum trees do not produce the spiky seed pods until they are at least 20 years of age according to the.