• The prickly fruits of the sweet gum tree need to be picked up when they are dropped.Walter B. McKenzie/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  The gumball tree is scientifically known as Liquidambar styraciflua as well as the sweet gum tree. It is a hardy tree that is mostly free from insect problems and is hardy in the face of high winds. It is a common tree in cities because it has a high ability to withstand the poorer air conditions, but it is important to examine some of the problems that the gumball tree is prone to before planting.
  
  

Bleeding Canker

• According to the University of Missouri, the gumball tree is susceptible to an incurable disease known as bleeding canker. This disease causes the dark, oil-like substance to bleed from uninjured bark. When the bark is peeled back, the interior of the bark is revealed as reddish brown. As the discoloration and bleeding continues, the crown of the gumball tree begins to die off. The University of Missouri recommends against planting gumball trees in areas where bleeding canker is known to be a problem.
  
  

Leaf Spot

• Leaf spot is a term that covers a wide variety of fungal diseases that can cause spotting on the gumball tree's leaves. When affected by leaf spot, the typically glossy leaves of the gumball tree start to show discolored yellow, brown or black spots. The spot itself might be a solid blotch or there may be a pale center to the leaf spot. While leaf spot is unattractive, it is not dangerous, and the affected leaves should simply be raked up at the end of the season and disposed of, rather than being allowed to sit on the ground.
  
  

Spiky Fruit

• During the summer, the gumball tree produces hard spiky fruit that is a little larger than a cherry. Over the fall, the fruit turns hard and brown and remains on the tree as long as the leaves do, offering some visual variety during the late fall months. In the early winter, the gumball tree's fruit drops to the ground and are numerous enough to blanket the ground underneath the tree. Picking up the spiky fallen fruit is as important a maintenance task as raking leaves.
  
  

Insects

• While gumball trees are largely resistant to insects, there are some insects that can still be a problem for this tree. Gumball trees are prone to cottony-cushion scale, walnut scale and sweet gum scale, which are all insects that can infect the branches and cause the leaves and branches to die back. Similarly, leaf miners burrow through the width of the leaf, causing it to fall apart. While leaf miners are not problematic on their own, a large infestation can cause vast amounts of foliage drop.