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Sweetgum family
Altingiaceae
ใใฆ็ง
A small family of deciduous trees, with about 15 species centered on the genus Liquidambar. Disjunctly distributed across Asia, North America, and the eastern Mediterranean. Characterized by palmately lobed leaves and spiky spherical compound fruits. In Japan, the Chinese sweetgum (Liquidambar formosana) and American sweetgum (L. styraciflua) are widely planted as street and park trees. Formerly included within Hamamelidaceae, it was separated as an independent family from APG II (2003) onward.
Key Characteristics
- โDeciduous trees, often with corky, fissured bark
- โLeaves alternate, palmately 3- to 7-lobed, with long petioles
- โMonoecious, with both female and male inflorescences spherical
- โFruit a spiky spherical aggregate of woody capsules
- โSeeds small and winged, dispersed by wind
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Saxifragales > Altingiaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (approx. 90โ70 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ใปSeparation from Hamamelidaceae (APG II, 2003)
- ใปEstablishment of disjunct distribution across Asia, North America, and the eastern Mediterranean
Plants in Sweetgum family on this site
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