Sweet Gum 

Medium-sized to large tree with deciduous, simple leaves on a straight tall trunk. The leaves are almost star-shaped with 5 or 7 long pointed deeply divided lobes. The fruit is a wide round cluster composed of numerous capsules each with a stiff sharp style.

Distribution: Eastern U.S. to Northern Central America.

Uses: The tree is used as ornamental in many parts of the world that have a montane climate. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers. More recently, storax has proven to be a strong antimicrobial agent even against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is chewed in the treatment of sore throats, coughs, asthma, cystitis, dysentery. Externally, it is applied to sores, wounds, piles, ringworm, scabies. The mildly astringent inner bark is used in the treatment of diarrhea and childhood cholera.