Sycamore

The Sycamore tree is known for its massive trunk and broad, irregular crown, as seen here, which functions as a shade tree and a home for a wide variety of local birds, small mammals, and insect pollinators. When planting this tree, make sure it has a lot of wiggle room to grow.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Platanus occidentalis

HISTORY: Early American explorers found massive sycamore trees that manage to make today's sycamores seem slight. Pioneer families were sometimes able to shelter their livestock within the trunk of a hollow sycamore - or, at times, their entire family prior to building a cabin. Native Americans used sycamore for a variety of medicinal purposes.

LEAVES: The simple, alternate, leathery leaves can grow to 4-9 inches long with 3-5 broad, shallow lobes and coarse teeth. Each lobe tip is pointed. The leaves are bright green in summer and brown in the fall.

FRUIT/CONE/NUT/SEED: A singular ball-like seed hangs from a long stalk on the sycamore tree, and it contains many closely packed, long, narrow fruits.

FLOWERS: The sycamore flowers between May and June. They are not typically considered ornamental.

BARK: The mottled bark of the sycamore is distinctive, smooth and green on young trunks or reddish-brown to gray on mature trunks. The bark sheds in thin plates with new white bark underneath. HEIGHT: The sycamore tree can attain heights of 75-100 feet.

USES: The wood of the sycamore is heavy and difficult to split or work, but it is often used for butcher's blocks, furniture, veneer, interior trim, boxes/crate, flooring, and buttons, earning it the nickname "buttonwood."

SOURCES:

https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sycamore

https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_ploc.pdf

https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/sycamore/

The Beardsley Avenue District Tree Tour is generously sponsored by Kallimani Tree Services.