Poisonous Sweet Gum Tree Balls

I think my dog has eaten some sweet gum balls from a sweet gum tree.

Poisonous sweet gum tree balls. The sweet gum tree a forty foot tall sweet gum tree rises from the northeast corner of my back yard. As previously mentioned sweetgum balls are the fruit of a medium to large size tree 65 155 feet tall with a trunk up to 6 feet across that can live for an extremely long time up to 400 years. At this time of year sweet gums stand out. These seeds are food for about 25 species.

The sweetgum tree liquidambar styraciflua produces an extremely spiked capsule containing one or two seeds in the summer. I ve twisted my ankle on them more than once. Are these things harmful to dogs. As a monoecious plant a sweet gum bears male and female flowers.

The round fruit balls are produced from fertilized flowers. It is currently classified in the plant family altingiaceae but was formerly considered a member of the hamamelidaceae. The balls of the trees are modified fruits that house the seeds until the balls ripen and release the seeds. When i m pulling a wagon full of kids they can make travel difficult.

Although they may look like prickly little seeds sweet gum tree balls are actually the fruit of the tree. It is recognizable by the combination of its five pointed star shaped leaves and its hard spiked fruits. This plant s genus. American sweetgum trees can be found throughout must of the eastern us.

When the spikes open the seeds are. Inside each spiky ball are up to 50 tiny winged seeds. Sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern united states and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. On our typical route there are 3 trees that bear these weird little balls.

Sweet gum balls start out plump and green but they dry as they mature. I think she may have ingested them this morning. Simon has crashed his bike more than. She always is trying to eat something but now she s very lethargic and is drinking lots of water.

Additionally the sweet gum s spiky gum balls. The spines become even spinier and holes open up to reveal seeds inside the 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. She s a flat coated retriever about 75 lbs.

The tree s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity.