Liquidambar Resinous, Or Ambergris Tree

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Liquidambar resinous (Latin Liquidambar styraciflua), or Amber tree - a plant of the genus Liquidambar (Latin Liquidambar) of the Altingia family (Latin Altingiaceae). It is the most popular species of the genus, which people grow as an ornamental plant, admiring its bright pink autumn foliage, shining on the branches of a beautiful pyramidal crown. Even in winter, when the leaves fall, the tree is adorned with thorny spherical fruits that stay on the branches for a long time. The resinous substance flowing through the vessels of the tree was used by people in the old days for medicinal purposes.

What's in your name

The Latin genus name "Liquidambar" is a compound word consisting of two words: Latin "Liquid" and Arabic "ambar". The first word is familiar to any diligent student and means "liquid" in Russian.

The second word is less familiar to a wide range of people, since it is a slightly modified word "ambergris", which refers to a natural substance similar to wax. The value of this substance lies in its ability to fix aromas, making them more persistent, which is very attractive for the perfume industry. So, a substance similar to ambergris in its qualities flows through the vessels of the trees of the Liquidambar genus, therefore it is called "liquid ambergris".

The specific epithet "styraciflua" ("resinous") further emphasizes the presence of a unique resin in the plant, meaning "plant resin" in translation.

The earliest description of this species comes from the work of a Spanish naturalist named Francisco Hernandez, in which he describes the plant as a large tree that produces a fragrant gum similar to liquid amber. The work was published in 1615, after the death of the author.

Description

More than two million years ago, Liquidambar resinous grew much to the north of its current location, as can be seen from the fossil finds of those times in Alaska, Greenland and other northern lands of Europe, Asia and America. Today the plant prefers more southern lands.

Liquidambar resinous is a medium-large tree with a height of fifteen to twenty one meters. In the wild, trees reach forty-six meters in height. The diameter of the trunk of Liquidambar resinous is from sixty to ninety centimeters. The lifespan of individual individuals reaches four hundred years.

After a couple of years of growing Liquidambar resinous, its branches become very heavy and bend to the surface of the earth, turning the pyramidal shape of the crown into a kind of egg. The bark of the tree can be of different colors: light brown, red, and sometimes gray with dark stripes. Deep cracks with scaly “ridges” are visible on the surface of the crust.

The branches of the tree have cork growths. Young multifaceted branches are covered with rusty hairs, which disappear as they grow, and the branches acquire a dark brown, gray or red-brown color.

Entire, bright green leaves are palmate-lobed, with five to seven lobes with a finely serrate edge. The leaves have rather long petioles. Sometimes their length is equal to the length of the leaves (six to seven centimeters), or half the length of the leaf (ten centimeters when the leaves are twenty centimeters long). There is pubescence in the lower part of the leaf plate. If you break a leaf, then a pleasant aroma will come from it. In autumn, the leaves become a decoration of the garden, painting in bright reds, oranges or purples. Some have compared the shape of the leaves of the tree to the shape of the leaves of a number of maple trees.

In spring, the tree blooms with discreet small flowers. Both female and male flowers are located on the same tree.

Numerous seed pods, containing one or a pair of miniature seeds inside, form hard balls with a prickly surface that cannot be confused with anything. The balls stay on the branches for a long time in winter.

Usage

The tree is very popular for decorating parks and gardens.

In ancient times, resinous liquid ambergris was used for medicinal purposes. With its help, the shattered nervous system and sciatica were treated. Since the quality of this type of ambergris is inferior to that of other species of the genus, today it is less commonly used for healing.

Beautiful wood is suitable for the manufacture of noble picture frames, for the production of decorative veneers, sometimes replacing expensive ebony.