Liquidambar, commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum, redgum, satin-walnut, or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae. They are decorative deciduous trees that are used in the wood industry and for ornamental purposes.
Both the scientific and common names refer to the sweet resinous sap (liquid amber) exuded by the trunk when cut.
†Liquidambar changii - Miocene (Washington state, ...