Courtesy of The Samuel
Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma,
www.noble.org
The American
Sycamore is one of the largest hardwood
trees, usually growing 60 to 100 feet tall, but sometimes
larger.
They have a
large, straight trunk, normally two to four feet in diameter
(across), but some have been found up to 15 feet
across.
Sycamores
have large, spreading, crooked branches, making a wide crown
(top part of tree).
Copyright, James
Manhart
American
Sycamore leaves are palmate
(like a hand) with three or five lobes
(sections, like fingers). The edge of the leaf is wavy, with
teeth.
The top of the leaf is bright green, and the underside is
pale green. They have a long petiole
(leafstalk).
Leaves turn
brown in the Fall.
American
Sycamores are found in forests, especially at the edges of
streams, lakes, and ponds. They like moist soil. They are
also used for landscaping, along streets, and in yards as a
shade tree.
Sycamores
naturally grow in groups with Silver Maple, Red Maple,
Yellow Poplar, Sweetgum, and Black Willow.
Like all
deciduous
trees, American Sycamores lose their leaves in the fall.
However, you can still identify them by their
bark.
American
Sycamores have smooth, whitish bark, which peels off in
large flakes. Splotches, where bark has peeled off, can be
brown, green, or gray.
Sycamore
twigs are thin and green, and they zigzag.
Copyright, James
Manhart
Copyright, Mark Brand,
UConn Plant Database
The flowers
of this tree are tiny and crowded together in ball-shaped
clusters.
They start out green before turning a deep red.
The fruits
of American Sycamore are one inch brown balls which hang on
stalks.
They often litter yards and sidewalks when they fall,
although some stay on the tree through the winter. Some
people call them "buttonballs."
Copyright, Jon T.
Lindstrom
Copyright, Jon T. Lindstrom
The seeds,
which are packed tightly together inside the fruit, are
called "achenes." Achenes
are dry, hairy fruits.
Achenes,
because of their light "hairyness," can travel far on the
wind, or float on water, to grow trees in new
places.
The seeds
are also dispersed
(spread) by birds and other animals which eat them and poop
some out in new places. They can still grow into new
trees!
Some animals
that eat American Sycamore achenes are American Goldfinches,
Carolina Chickadees, Purple Finches, Mallards, Beavers,
Muskrats, and Gray Squirrels.
Copyright, Mark Brand,
UConn Plant Database
Mark Moran
Beavers also eat the
bark.
Animals depend on
sycamores in other ways too! Wood Ducks often make their nests in
them.
Additionally,
American Sycamores usually become hollow as they get older. Some
animals that live inside hollow trees are Pileated Woodpeckers,
Barred Owls, Great Crested Flycatchers, Chimney Swifts, and
Raccoons.
Humans use American
Sycamore wood for many uses, including furniture, flooring, butchers'
blocks, particle board, boxes, crates, and baskets.
People plant these
trees along streams to stop soil erosion.
Many homeowners plant
American Sycamores in their yards to provide shade. They are also
good for landscaping in cities, because they are resistant to
pollution.
The seeds of
sycamores, called "achenes," can cause skin irritation and
respiratory (breathing) problems in some people.
