Sweetgum

Sweetgum

(Liquidambar Styracifula)

This tree can be found next to the tennis quart, standing alone from the other trees.

Sweetgum can be found in temperate deciduous forests but that is going to be hard to find in the wild in CT due to their sensitivity to pollution. They are very popular ornamentally, so they'll be easier to find that way. They prefer full sun and moist, acidic soils.

They are very pretty trees, with deen green, shiny leaves in a unique star shape. They turn a deep purple or red in the summer. Their crown is usually rounded or pyramidal and dense and their bark is simple but pretty, dark brown with almost purple undertones. I think their sensitivity to pollution is also an important feature, they could be used to tell when an environment is becoming threatened.