STORY BEHIND THE ART OF MITSUKO SCHULTZ

Wildly Exquisite: Florida’s Native Plants

Sweetgum

Liquidamber styraciflua ‘Burgundy’

Sweetgum is a medium to large deciduous tree native to Florida and the southeastern, east central, and central United States. Its maple-like star shaped leaves turn orange, red, burgundy and yellow in the fall. Some trees develop unique corky ridges on 2 year old stems, which I have included in my painting.

This tree, Liquidamber styraciflua ‘Burgundy’, is called Sweetgum for its sweet brownish sap, from under the bark, which was used for chewing gum. Sweetgum is also used for its pulp and for lumber, in the manufacture of plywood and veneer. Sweetgum seeds are eaten by birds, squirrels and other small mammals.

Sweetgum’s genus name Liquidamber was first given by Linnaeus in 1753 from the Latin liquidus, “liquid, fluid, flowing” and the Arabic ambar, “amber, fragrance”.

Sweetgum is planted along streets, in parks, and in botanical gardens throughout Southern California where I now live. I used to enjoy the fall colors, especially the Japanese maple, in my hometown of Kyoto, Japan. Now, I cannot see Japanese maple fall colors here but whenever I see Sweetgum around Southern California I am reminded of my hometown. Thus Sweetgum is an important tree for me and hence why I chose it as a subject for a painting.

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Read more about this artist’s work: Abundant Future