Sweetgum Fruits
If you are looking for a mid-size tree with fabulous fall color, you should seriously consider Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). It turns a most satisfying orange-red or crimson and it’s a nice tree the rest of the year. If you run around in the yard barefoot, however, you might consider the cultivar ‘Rotundiloba’ because it is sterile and does not produce these little balls that will otherwise litter your yard (it also has rounded lobes on the leaves, which explains the name). Personally, I like the fruits, but then, I don’t have them all over my patio, either.