Oriental Sweet Gum

Liquidambar orientalis

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Basic Information

Family: Hamamelidaceae

Genus: liquidambar

Plant ID (slug): liquidambar-orientalis

Numeric ID: 23064

USDA Hardiness: 7-10

Ratings

Physical Characteristics

Liquidambar orientalis is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

W. Asia.

Habitats

Woodland Garden Secondary;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Edible Uses: Gum A chewing gum and a stabilizer for cakes etc are obtained from the resin[177]. This resin is also used to flavour baked foods etc[183].

Medicinal Uses

Antibacterial Antidote Antiinflammatory Parasiticide Pectoral Salve Stimulant Vulnerary A resin obtained from the wood and inner bark acts both as an irritant and an expectorant within the respiratory tract. It is one of the ingredients of 'Friar's Balsam', an expectorant mixture that is inhaled to stimulate a productive cough[254]. Externally it is applied to the skin to treat a range of diseases[254]. The resin is also mixed with Hamamelis virginiana and Rose water to make an astringent face lotion[254]. The resin is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, expectorant, pectoral, salve and stimulant[46, 57, 61, 176, 218, 238]. It is taken internally in the treatment of strokes, infantile convulsions, coma, heart disease and pruritis[238]. It is also used in the treatment of cancer[218]. Externally it is mixed with oil and used to treat scabies, wounds, ulcers etc[238, 254]. The bark is harvested in the autumn and the resin extracted from the bark[254]. The leaves, fruits and roots are used in similar ways to the resin[238] and are also considered to be antidote, parasiticide and vulnerary[218].