This tree is located at the corner of 24th Ave. S. and Vanderbilt Place off the corner of Branscomb Quadrangle.
Sweet gum
leaves are distinctive due to both their 5-pointed star shape and the pleasant, aromatic smell that they have when torn or crushed. The other very distinctive characteristic of the tree is its
fruit, which looks like a spiky ball. In the fall, the ground below sweet gum trees is littered with hundreds of the
brown fruits that have dispersed their seeds.
Sweet gums favor wet bottomlands. However, they also do fairly well in disturbed areas and are commonly seen as small trees along highways.