Liquidambar styraciflua is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Altingiaceae family), native to eastern North America and parts of Central America. It has bright autumn colours and glossy star-shaped leaves with 5–7 pointed lobes (resembling those of a maple, but it is not of the same family). The tree grows to 20–35 metres high and has a grey-brown bark with deep ridges when it matures. It has a fruit of hard, spiky balls. The tree produces a fragrant resin which has been used in medicines and perfumes; the genus name Liquidambar refers to the resin it produces.

External webpages
about this species