What are those spiky ball plants called?
If you’ve encountered some round, spiny balls under a tree or maybe still on the plant, and you’re wondering what it could be, it’s likely one of several options: buckeye/horsechestnut (Aesculus), chestnut (Castanea), or sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).
What tree drops prickly balls?
American sweet gum tree
The American sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua, USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9) is just one spiky nut tree you might find in the neighborhood. Other trees that drop spiny balls are the sycamore (Platanus occidentalis, zones 4-9) and the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum, zones 4-7).
What are the spiky balls on oak trees?
These little balls, called oak galls, are a common occurrence caused when the tree reacts to non-stinging wasps laying their eggs on its leaves, branches, twigs or flowers. These insects inject a hormone into the plant tissue, causing it to grow abnormally and enclose the developing wasp larvae.
What is the messiest tree?
Trees that Make a Mess
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
- Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin)
- Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) – Messy Yard Trees.
- Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
- White Mulberry (Morus alba)
- One of the Messiest Trees – Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
- Ash Trees (Fraxinus)
What kind of tree drops brown spiky balls?
sweet gums
At this time of year, sweet gums stand out. The tree’s dark grayish brown twigs bear unusual, corky ridges that lend the tree a peculiar angularity. Additionally, the sweet gum’s spiky “gum balls” hang conspicuously from the tree’s smaller branches, sometimes all winter.
What are sycamore balls?
They are spiked balls that are produced by Sycamore trees and contain the seeds that can be used to start new trees. They are produced in the winter and can be found all over the ground around the trees in the spring. One of the most popular uses for these balls is making ornaments for the holidays.
Do squirrels eat sycamore balls?
And just as the tree is human friendly it is kind to animals as well. Sycamore seeds are eaten by some birds including the purple finch, goldfinch, chickadees, and dark-eyed junco. The seeds are also eaten by muskrats, beavers, and squirrels.
What are the round balls on trees?
The galls, or tumor-like growths, are produced by the tree in response to chemicals injected into it by an adult or larval gall-making insect. The shape of the gall is determined by the chemicals used by each species of gall-maker. Galls can be round and dense, woolly, fuzzy, veined, bullet-shaped or horned.