Mystery Object

The mystery object is a

FRUIT HUSK from a

SWEET GUM TREE.

It is called a sweet gum because the tree sap smells sweet after it hardens.

The trees have star-shaped leaves and reach 30 to 40 feet in height.

Native Americans and pioneers chewed the hardened gum, and tea was made from the fruit and bark.

Today, the sweet gum is used for furniture, flooring, paper, and baskets.

The spiny fruit is green and hangs from the branches. Most fruits hold 20 to 30 seeds.

The fruits fall to the ground, turn brown, and break open along the spines.

The winged seeds exit through the spines. The wind carries them a short distance to be planted in a new place.