We were recently bushhogging an overflow nursery parking area, which is a fallow field, that includes quite a few tree seedlings, primarily Liquidambar styraciflua. During the six-hour mowing exercise, I discovered three different variegated clones of our native sweet gum, each growing about 100 feet apart. Recent research has documented that mowing off woody plants causes a dramatic increase in the mutation rate, when the plants resprout. Our native sweet gum is particularly prone to mutations, which is why those of us who practice botanizing at 55mph, find so many roadside variegates. Cuttings have been stuck of our recent finds below, and we’ll see if any turn into good garden plants.
Sport #1 has quite a bit of creamy white, and is most likely to burn in sun. The variegation pattern is still an unstable periclinal chimera, so hopefully, if it roots from cuttings, we can get it to stabilized into a consistent edge.
Sport #2 has both a stable yellow center/green edged branch, and a lower solid gold branch. The solid gold branch appears to have too little chlorophyll to survive on its own, but we’ll know for sure if the cuttings root.
Sport #3 is mostly gold with the beginnings of a green central pattern. I would expect this to burn in the sun also, so we’ll see.
Leaves are very lovely and all the best for your growing on these finds! (Now if one doesn’t make the gumballs, it will be the grail of sweetgums.)
Thanks for your emails.
I cut the field behind my house annually in February, and you’ve inspired me to conduct my own search. I just read that a cloudy day in late spring to mid summer is best, before anything variegated could scorch in late summer heat. Of my Piedmont Georgia ecosystem, apparently Liquidamber is most likely to yield, followed by Quercus. Mutations in Myrica would be rare, and those of Pinus extremely unlikely.
Good luck!
If #2 has similar, albeit more muted, variegation as Fatsia japonica ‘Murakumo Nishiki’, sign me up.
Indeed, it does.