Liquidambar styraciflua
Suited for entrances, squares, parks and residential gardens where intense autumn colour and the structure of multiple trunks create visual presence all year round.
The conical to oval canopy, with bright green palmate-lobed foliage in summer, turns into a simultaneous display of orange, red, purple and yellow in autumn. It prefers full sun, tolerating part shade, and fertile, moist but well-drained, slightly acidic soil, avoiding chalky soils. It needs regular watering in the first two years, becoming drought-tolerant afterwards.
It is one of the largest multi-stem species in our catalogue, capable of exceeding 10 metres in height at maturity, so generous distance from paving and underground infrastructure is recommended when planting.
Its root system, while vigorous, responds well to well-planned planting from the outset, making it a safe choice even for urban projects with constrained underground space.
