Uses: Fence posts, railroad ties, interior finishing; sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Habitat: Bogs and swamps.
Range: Labrador to Alaska, south to Minnesota, northern Illinois, and West Virginia.
Distinguishing Features: American Larch is distinguished by its short, pale green needles borne many in a cluster or singly on long shoots.
SWEET GUM
Liquidambar styraciflua L.
Other Name: Red Gum.
Growth Form: Up to 100 feet tall; trunk diameter sometimes more than 3 feet; crown usually pyramidal.
Bark: Usually dark gray and broken into scaly ridges.
Twigs: Stout, often bordered by corky wings; leaf scars alternate, half-elliptical, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.