Sweet Gum Tree Balls Poisonous
By linda from tryon nc.
Sweet gum tree balls poisonous. Sweet gum is hardy in u s. This combined with the extra food can be causing some stomach upset. The tradeoff for these perks is a source of aggravation for some gardeners. Perhaps it is time for some rehabilitation.
Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Are sweet gum balls poisonous. Click below to answer. The sweet gum tree is the sand spur of the forest.
The only edible part of the tree is the dried sap which makes a fragrant bitter chewing gum. You painfully find them with your feet. 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. When i m pulling a wagon full of kids they can make travel difficult.
Sweet gum trees also have unusual fruit. Are gumballs from the gumball tree poisonous. On our typical route there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls. Chemical treatments however can stop a tree s fruit production which keeps the lawn free of that litter.
The spiky gum balls of the sweet gum tree are annoying to anyone who steps on them. By linda 1 post page uses for sweet gum balls. Simon has crashed his bike more than once when his front tire hit one. The vicious seed pods have impaled many a forager and has done much to ruin the sweet gum s reputation.
By kathleen williams 77 posts 1 654 comments march 19 2010 0 found this helpful. It is fairly common to see them drink more when they are nauseous. The witch s burrs or gum balls of this particular tree were enormous in size i don t think i have ever seen another sweet gum tree in my lifetime that has been this size. The gum seed pod are not toxic but that can be very irritating to the stomach and esophagus.
But in flu season they re also a source of homemade tamiflu. Summer shade and vibrant fall leaf color are merits of the sweet gum tree liquidambar styraciflua. Round spiny fruits or balls that litter the ground making a simple walk across the yard a precarious one. Despite these nuisances we always slow down to take a look and to collect the unusual alien balls we always end up with.
When the balls would fall off the tree in autumn it would be quite difficult to walk under the tree and if you were not careful you would fall it was like walking on golf balls. 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. It s called sweet. Thriftyfun is powered by your wisdom.
In 2015 the city of chesterfield branded the trees a nuisance and hazardous which required homeowners to maintain a ball free path on the sidewalks and part of the street the trees may be beautiful but sweet gum balls are known to block up sewer inlets and many complain about tripping and falling on them.