Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Altingiaceae
- Genus:
- Liquidambar
- Species:
- Liquidambar styraciflua
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- More than 40 ft
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- mar, apr, may
- Bloom Colors:
- White, Green
Native Range
United States: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★☆☆
Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Abbot's Bagworm Moth (Oiketicus abbotii), Acrobasis sp., Ailanthus silkmoth (Samia cynthia), American plum borer (Euzophera semifuneralis), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Ceanothus Silkmoth (Hyalophora euryalus), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Ceratonyx satanaria, Coleotechnites vagatioella, Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), Dasychira atrivenosa, Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), elf emerald (Nemoria elfa), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Gluphisia septentrionis, grape tube moth (Nephopterix uvinella), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), Io moth (Automeris io), Large Paectes Moth (Paectes abrostoloides), Leopard moth (Zeuzera pyrina), Luna moth (Actias luna), Maple spanworm (Ennomos magnaria), Nemoria saturiba, Oslar's eacles (Eacles oslari), Paectes delineata, Paectes pygmaea, Phyllocnistis liquidambarisella, Promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), Red-humped caterpillar moth (Schizura concinna), Regal Moth (Citheronia regalis), saucereye silkmoth (Callosamia securifera), Splendid Royal Moth (Citheronia splendens), Walker’s Atlas Moth (Samia walkeri), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), white-marked tussock moth (Dasychira leucophaea), King's hairstreak (Satyrium kingi), Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Butterflies:Checkered White (Pontia protodice), Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae), Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae), Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), Horace's Duskywing (Gesta Evans), Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.0 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- prefers bottomland and floodplain areas
Germination Information
Pre-treatment: Seeds are cold stratified for 32-56 days. In some cases, seeds are sown outdoors from mid-November to mid-December for natural stratification. Seeds can also be purchased from local collectors.
Establishment: Seeds exhibit shallow dormancy but germination is improved by cold, moist stratification. Yellowing color indicates maturity of the seeds. Seed sources are typically from south central Missouri.
Source: npn.rngr.net
