VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. It produces very few of the spiny fruits that can cause messes on walkways or injury to bare feet. The leaves can suffer from chlorosis if the soil is too alkaline. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 'Slender Silhouette' generally has no serious insect pests or disease problems. fluctuating numbers of fruits produced in the fall that are small, round, prickly, woody capsules.deciduous, tall, narrow, columnar, up to 50 to 60 feet high and 5 to 6 feet wide.The columnar form also makes it a great choice as a screen or tall planting that borders along property lines.įoliage: Spring, Summer, and Fall Fruits: Fall The cultivar's slender habit makes it ideal for thin or narrow spaces like medians and small gardens as a vertical accent plant. It has moderate resistance to wind damage. If pruning is necessary to remove some straggler branches, it should be done in late winter to early spring before the tree leaves out. Apply a 3-4" layer of mulch around the base to assist the fleshy roots in maintaining moisture as well as to moderate the temperatures. Although it is dry soil tolerant when mature, during the first year, the soil should be kept moist without overwatering. If t is planted in ideal conditions, the tree can grow too rapidly and split open. Plant in the full sun, and moist, well-drained soils. 'Slender Silhouette' is best planted in poor soils and tough spots to insure slower growth and maintain its more narrow habit. The cultivar name, 'Slender Silhouette,' references the tree's habit. The specific epithet, styraciflua, means "flowing storax" which is a fragrant gum resin. The genus name, Liquidambar, originates from the Latin words liquidus which means "liquid," and ambar meaning "amber." This refers to the tree resin. This cultivar was introduced by Don Shadow, a nurseryman from Franklin County, Tennessee, that discovered it growing wild. The yields from year to year can fluctuate, but they are much less in number than the species. The fall foliage color is unpredictable, but it may be in shades of yellow, orange, red, or burgundy. The deciduous leaves are star-shaped, and the tree produces fruits that are rounded prickly, woody capsules. Initially, they seem fruitless, but gradually they begin to produce a few fruits. The bark is deeply furrowed as the tree ages. It will grow to a height of 50 to 60 feet and a width of 5 to 6 feet. As it matures, it will maintain its erect, uniform, columnar form, growing upwards with the top of the tree about the same width as near the bottom. 'Slender Silhouette' is a tall columnar cultivar of the sweet gum or the Altingiaceae family. It grows best in full sun.Phonetic Spelling li-kwid-AM-bar sti-ra-si-FlOO-a 'SLEN-duh sil-00-et' Description Sweetgum ‘Slender Silhouette’ tolerates a wide variety of soil types including clay soils. Fossil records have been discovered in Colorado, Washington state and throughout Europe. Sweetgum is an ancient family of trees and has lived in the northern hemisphere for over 50 million years. Inconspicuous white flowers appear in the spring. However, this particular variety has less of that and the ones that do fall do not cover a wide distance due to the narrow growing habit. The tree is also notorious for the small ball-shaped spiky fruits that it drops in the fall. The Sweetgum tree is known for green star-shaped leaves that turn to vibrant hues of orange, yellow and red in autumn. The tree makes a striking vertical accent. This characteristic makes the tree a good candidate for smaller gardens or to accompany tall buildings. Towering to heights of 50 feet or more, its width remains around 4-5 feet. There are not many tall trees that maintain a slender profile but Sweetgum ‘Slender Silhouette’ ( Liquidambar styraciflua) fits the bill nicely.
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