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Liquidambar orientalis

Common name:	Oriental Sweet Gum	Family:	Hamamelidaceae
Author:	Mill.	Botanical references:	11, 93, 200
Synonyms:	Liquidambar imberbe (Aiton.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	W. Asia.
Habitat:	Flood plains, marshy places and valley sides near streams to elevations of 1800 metres in Turkey[93].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	L. orientale[E]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Oriental Sweetgum [P], Sigala Agaci [E], So Ho Hsiang [E], So Ho Yu [E], Storax [H,E], Storax Calamita [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	orientalis = eastern
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Hamamelidales. Witch-hazel family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Blendok getah China Egypt Italy Minjak rasamala Nd Turkey

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 10m by 4m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary.

Edible Uses

Gum.

A chewing gum and a stabilizer for cakes etc are obtained from the resin[177]. This resin is also used to flavour baked foods etc[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial Antidote Antiinflammatory Parasiticide Pectoral Salve Stimulant Vulnerary.

A resin obtained from the wood and inner bark acts both as an irritant and an expectorant within the respiratory tract. It is one of the ingredients of 'Friar's Balsam', an expectorant mixture that is inhaled to stimulate a productive cough[254]. Externally it is applied to the skin to treat a range of diseases[254]. The resin is also mixed with Hamamelis virginiana and Rose water to make an astringent face lotion[254].
The resin is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, expectorant, pectoral, salve and stimulant[46, 57, 61, 176, 218, 238]. It is taken internally in the treatment of strokes, infantile convulsions, coma, heart disease and pruritis[238]. It is also used in the treatment of cancer[218]. Externally it is mixed with oil and used to treat scabies, wounds, ulcers etc[238, 254]. The bark is harvested in the autumn and the resin extracted from the bark[254].
The leaves, fruits and roots are used in similar ways to the resin[238] and are also considered to be antidote, parasiticide and vulnerary[218].

Other Uses

Incense Resin Wood.

The aromatic resin 'Storax' is obtained from the trunk of this tree[57, 64]. It forms in cavities of the bark and also exudes naturally. It is harvested in autumn. Production can be stimulated by beating the trunk in the spring[171, 238]. The resin has a wide range of uses including medicinal, incense, perfumery, soaps etc. It is also used as a parasiticide[46, 61]. Liquid storax gives greater permanence to the odours of flowers extracted by maceration[245]. It is also used in the imitation of other scents as an alternative to vanilla, ambergris and benzoin, or to complement them[245].
The aromatic bark is burnt as an incense[245].

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist but not swampy loam in a sheltered position[1, 200]. Prefers a neutral to acid soil[130]. Grows poorly on shallow soils overlying chalk[188]. Plants can be grown in full sun so long as the soil is not dry hungry and shallow[130].
Young plants are susceptible to damage from late frosts[11, 130, 200]. Mature plants are fully hardy but prefer a hotter climate if they are to do well[11]. Plants rarely, if ever, flower in Britain[11]. They rarely flower in climatic zones colder than zone 7[200].
An aromatic gum exudes from the trunk. The fragrance is also present to some extent in the leaves, especially if they are bruised[245].
This species resents root disturbance, young plants should be pot-grown and be placed in their permanent positions as soon as possible[200].
A slow growing plant[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Harvest the seed capsules at the end of October or November, dry in a warm place and extract the seed by shaking the capsule. Stored seed requires 1 - 3 months stratification and sometimes takes 2 years to germinate. Sow it as early in the year as possible. Germination rates are often poor. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame or greenhouse for their first winter. Since they resent root disturbance, it is best to plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of their second year and give them some protection from cold for their first winter outdoors[K].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Suckers in early spring.
Layering in October/November. Takes 12 months.

Scent

Plant: Fresh Crushed Dried: An aromatic gum exudes from the trunk. The fragrance is also present to some extent in the leaves, especially if they are bruised.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Liquidambar imberbe (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Liquidambar orientale (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Hamamelidaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[64] Howes. F. N. Vegetable Gums and Resins. Faber
A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.

[93] Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965
Not for the casual reader, this is an immense work in many volumes. Some details of plant uses and habitats.

[130] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants, including Distylium racemosum and some perennial members of the family Berberidaceae.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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