![]() ![]() The buds are produced in opposite pairs, ovoid (approximately oval in shape) and pointed, with the bud scales (the modified leaves that enclose and protect the bud) green, edged in dark brown and with dark brown tips, 0.5–1 centimetre ( 1⁄ 4– 3⁄ 8 in). : 118 Sycamore shoot tip in winter with a green terminal bud and paired green lateral buds The bark of young trees is smooth and grey but becomes rougher with age and breaks up into scales, exposing the pale-brown-to-pinkish inner bark. The sycamore is a large, broad-leaved deciduous tree that reaches 20–35 m (66–115 ft) tall at maturity, the branches forming a broad, domed crown. Description Illustration of twigs, buds, leaves, flowers and fruits Acer pseudoplatanus can form a broad, domed crown Acer pseudoplatanus in early October in Lower Austria ![]() Other common names for the tree include false plane-tree, great maple, Scottish maple, mount maple, mock-plane, or Celtic maple. The common name "sycamore" was originally applied to the fig species Ficus sycomorus, the sycamore or sycomore referred to in the Bible, that is native to Africa and Southwest Asia. Acer and Platanus differ in the position in which leaves are attached to the stem (alternate in Platanus, paired or opposite in Acer) and in their fruit, which are spherical clusters in Platanus and paired samaras (winged fruit) in Acer. However, the two genera are in different families that are only distantly related. The specific name pseudoplatanus refers to the superficial similarity of the leaves and bark of the sycamore to those of plane trees in the genus Platanus, the prefix pseudo- (from Ancient Greek) meaning "false". These are all now considered to be synonyms of Acer pseudoplatanus L. Many forms and varieties have been proposed, including natural varieties such as var. It is the type species in the maple genus Acer, which is in the soapberry family Sapindaceae. ![]() Bees collecting the nectar make honey.Īcer pseudoplatanus was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum in 1753. The rising sap in spring has been used to extract sugar and make alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It produces a hard-wearing, creamy-white close-grained timber that is used for making musical instruments, furniture, joinery, wood flooring and kitchen utensils. It is sometimes planted in urban areas for its value as an ornamental. In its native range, the sycamore is associated with a biodiverse range of invertebrates and fungi, but these are not always present in areas to which it has been introduced. They germinate freely in the following spring. The winged seeds or samaras are borne in pairs and twirl to the ground when ripe. They produce copious amounts of pollen and nectar that are attractive to insects. The flowers are greenish-yellow and hang in dangling flowerheads called panicles. The leaves grow on long leafstalks and are large and palmate, with five large radiating lobes. The bark is grey, smooth when young and later flaking in irregular patches. The sycamore can grow to a height of about 35 m (115 ft) and the branches form a broad, rounded crown. It is now naturalised there and in other parts of Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, where it may become an invasive species. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind and coastal exposure.Īlthough native to an area ranging from France eastward to Ukraine, northern Turkey and the Caucasus, and southward to the mountains of Italy and northern Iberia, the sycamore establishes itself easily from seed and was introduced to the British Isles by 1500. (1782) (invalid name)Īcer pseudoplatanus, known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple tree native to Central Europe and Western Asia. Acer montanum Garsault (1764) (invalid name).Acer fieberi Opiz (1852) (invalid name). ![]()
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