Oriental Sweetgum (Liquidambar orientalis, also known as Turkish Sweetgum [1] ) is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, that occurs as pure stands mainly in the flood plains of southwestern Turkey.

The forests of this Tertiary relict endemic taxon are found notably within a specially protected area between Dalyan and Köyceğiz in Muğla Province, where a 286 hectares zone is set aside as a nature reserve and arboretum for the preservation of the species. A large stand also surrounds Marmaris. These two areas are the better known oriental sweetgum forests due to their respective regions also being prominent centers of tourism, although a big population covering nearly 100 hectares is also found in an inland region within Aydın Province extending between Çine, Köşk and Umurlu districts. Yet another sweetgum forest area (88.5 hectares) under protection is situated in Burdur's depending district of Bucak alongside Karacaören dam reservoir on the road to Antalya [2]. The trees are also found locally in Denizli's depending districts of Beyağaç and Tavas. [3] The total area of pure sweetgum forests in Turkey covers 1,348 hectares, all in the southwestern regions of the country. The present-day extension cortresponds to a marked decrease since the 1940s level of 6000-7000 hectares, although the protective measures and infrastructure in place since the 1980s helped stop loss of stands and led to slight improvements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_orientalis