American sycamore

American Sycamore

Published on Jul 31, 2014

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Published on Oct 21, 2011

Published on Feb 16, 2013

How to identify American sycamore tree, Platanus occidentalis. I've heard it's possible to tap the Sycamore and evaporate the sap to make maple syrup, but, I've never done it myself. American sycamore is, in fact, not a maple at all, the seeds and leaf arrangement are a dead giveaway.

American sycamore seeds are round, spiky, warty globes about the size of a golf ball, and look more like miniature Osage oranges than maple seeds, which are smaller and look like wings. American sycamore seeds may be a good late winter tinder for starting fires, there are many tiny fibers that make up the seed pod which may take a spark from a fire steel or could possibly be used to make a tinder nest.

American sycamore leaves appear quite similar to maple leaves, but, it's not a maple and is in it's own family, the plane-tree family or Platanaceae. Maples have opposite branching, sycamore has alternate branching. some folks refer to american sycamore as Big leaved maple.

American sycamore range distribution is across the eastern half of the United States, it seems to prefer lowland habitats near rivers, flood plains, and around lakes and ponds.

American sycamore bark is very distinct, having the pattern of woodland camouflage. The color of the bark ranges from white, to green, beige, brown and grey. The younger bark is smooth and patchy, the older bark is rough and flaky.

The above features make American sycamore stand out like a sore thumb, it's a real pretty tree and hard to mistake for any other.

It seems strange to me how common names are used, even stranger is how some plants are classified by botanists. If a tree has a maple leaf and can be tapped for maple syrup you'd think it would be classified as a maple, and if a tree is commonly referred to as a maple I'd think it would be a maple, but it's not. American sycamore is in a family all it's own.

Here's Craig's channel if you'd like to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/user/leaflifebushcraft The sycamore he has over in the UK is a completely different tree and that's what led to the making of this video. I thought it was pretty neat to see his variety of sycamore. The sycamore over there is actually a maple tree.

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Published on Mar 4, 2016

American sycamore

Uploaded on Jun 2, 2011

http://www.tytyga.com/product/Sycamore+Tree Need more information on Street Shade Trees? Follow the link below - http://www.tytyga.com/Shade-Street-Trees-s/2175.htm The Sycamore tree, Platanus occidentalis, is one of the favorite shade trees to plant along the street in the Southern States, like Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. The sycamore shade comes from one of the best of the fast growing tree list selections that are native to America.

Published on Feb 17, 2015

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