Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Liquidamber formosana
Edible: Leaves
A deciduous tree. It grows 18 m high and spreads 9 m wide. It can grow 40 m tall. The trunk is straight. The tree is broadly cone shaped. The bark is grey-white and becomes darker and cracked with age. The leaves usually have 3 lobes. The leaves are 13 cm long by 15 cm wide. The lobes taper to a point and have rounded teeth. The leaves are purple when young and become dark green before turning red to purple in autumn. The leaf stalks have a red tinge. The fruit are small and in clusters are 2.5-4 cm across.
It is a temperate plant. It is native to China and Taiwan. It grows in woods and thickets in mountainous areas. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. Arboretum Tasmania. In Sichuan.
Common Names: Chinese liquidamber, Formosan sweetgum, Chao, Cha phai, Fengxiangshu, Fragrant maple tree, Pohon getah manis cina, Sau sau
Synonyms:
Liquidamber acerifolia Maxim.;
Liquidamber formosa var. monticola;
Liquidiamber maximoviczii Miq.;
Liquidiamber tonkinensis A. Chev.;