Sweet Gum Tree Seed Balls

They are considered a powerful protection amulet.

Sweet gum tree seed balls. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua. A fast growing tree the sweetgum offers plenty of shade while growing well in a vast range of soils and moisture levels. The one major flaw of this deciduous tree is the hundreds of spiny woody. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one.

Sweet gum balls are the seeds that fall from sweet gum trees. The sweetgum tree liquidambar styraciflua produces an extremely spiked capsule containing one or two seeds in the summer. Chemical treatments however can stop a tree s fruit production which keeps the lawn free of that litter. The barbs are carried to new locations when they latch onto animals fur.

The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. The sweet gum tree a forty foot tall sweet gum tree rises from the northeast corner of my back yard. Additionally the sweet gum s spiky gum balls hang conspicuously from the tree s smaller branches sometimes all winter. The only difference is sweetgum balls drop all fall and winter.

As previously mentioned sweetgum balls are the fruit of a medium to large size tree 65 155 feet tall with a trunk up to 6 feet across that can live for an extremely long time up to 400 years. By mid fall the balls are dead and seedless. These compound seed capsules are often confused with the seed heads of the. 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.

These seeds are often called porcupine balls because they are covered in small barbs. Just like leaves they must fall so the tree can prep for new growth. Sweetgums are notably absent from magical and herbal tree lore which derives largely from europe. The spiky clusters are actually balls of fruit with tiny seeds inside that birds and squirrels snack on.

If you look very closely they are actually a bit scary looking they appear to be made of a collection of tiny dark brown bird beaks. Turns out they are the seed pods from the sweetgum tree. In magical and spiritual circles the spiney seed pods or fruits of the sweet gum are known as witch s burrs or witch balls a traditional american hoodoo magical item.