American Sycamore

 Note from the Author: New plant!

 

 

A yellowing autumn leaf showing the maple-like shape of the leaves. Note the mottled bark on the branch in the lower right.

The reddish tinge to the leaves is because it is fall and the chlorophyll has broken down to reveal other colors, the Yellows or Xanthophylls show first, the red is the Anthocyanins emerging.

This is what I mean by 'Mottled' bark. It's also a great winter feature as it gives the American Sycamore year-round value by urban tree standards.

This is what the bark looks like on a fairly young specimen. It goes from this to the smooth mottled bark that you probably know better. The oldest known American Sycamore is between 350 and 400 years old with a 28.5 foot trunk circumference. There are tales from the settlement of North America that speak of people living in the naturally hollowed trunks of American Sycamores.

Common Name: American Sycamore

 

Other Common Names: Buttonball Tree, Buttonwood, Eastern Sycamore, American Plane Tree, Western Plane, Occidental Plane and, Water Beech.

 

Botanical Family: Platanaceae (The Plane Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Platanus occidentalis

 

Description & Habitat: Before I delve into the details here, I have to note that the name ‘sycamore’ refers to a number of trees that are both native and non-native to North America. American Sycamore specifically is a deciduous tree native to North America that is commonly found in southeastern Canada, and the central and eastern United States. In general American Sycamore is a fast-growing tree that can get very large with age and has a wide canopy with an irregularly shaped crown at maturity. The American Sycamore is best known for its ‘seed balls’ that are often mistaken for the ones produced by Sweet Gum (Liquiambar styraciflua) though Sycamore’s seed balls are actually a cluster of tightly packed seeds. In the winter, Sycamore is known for its mottled bark which to some makes it appear as if it has died because lighter patches are almost the color of exposed heartwood. It is not uncommon for a Sycamore in an urban environment to reach up to 100 feet tall with equal spread if allowed and American Sycamores can handle urban pollution, and are not too picky about soil pH or texture. American Sycamores are noted to even be tolerant of proximity to Black Walnut Trees and it is considered a hardwood tree. The scientific name of American Sycamore derives from the Greek word ‘Plantanos’ which in turn appears to originate from the word ‘Platys’ which means broad or flat. In Greek Mythology Platanus was the daughter of the Thessalian King Aloeus and sister of the Aloadae Giants whom attempted and failed to assault Mount Olympus. The specific epithet ‘occidentalis’ simply means western. The epithet was added because the American Sycamore resembled the Sycamores common to the British Isles despite being in a different family. The British Sycamore is actually in the Maple family (Acer pseudoplatanus). The common name Sycamore itself appears to come from the Greek words ‘siga’ and ‘mora’ which means Fig (sýko) and Mulberry (moúro). If you don’t see the connection that’s ok, because there is a type of fig in the Middle East called a Sycamore Fig (Ficus sycomorus), and it has the same kind of broad, massive stature at maturity. The primary disadvantage to this tree in the land scape is that it gets large and many people underestimate its mature size. It also will heave sidewalks and roads and its roots can disrupt buried utilities. In terms of pest problems American Sycamore can be attacked by a bunch of insects such as; Borers, Scale, Japanese Beetles, varied Caterpillars, Spider Mites. On top of this there are a few diseases that are a problem too as it is susceptible to Sycamore Anthracnose, Cankers, Leaf Spot and Powdery Mildew. It also is not idea for windy areas since it is susceptible to wind damage.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  As far as I can tell there are no poisonous or toxic parts on this tree.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: The most obvious things you can harvest from this tree are the fallen leaves for compost as it will produce a lot of those and they’re a great substitute for Maple or Oak leaves when trying to make Leaf Mold Compost. The seed balls have use in assorted crafts in the same way Cattails do in dried arrangements. Its wood is great for making tool handles or utensils or even butcher blocks, generally its wood is very versatile. I have also seen some folks credibly make mention of using washed Sycamore leaves as a sort of forage Saran Wrap for meat as the leaves are large and help keep what’s inside moist. In a culinary sense, you can tap its sap like you would a Sugar Maple, though it’s not even remotely as sweet. Realistically you’d have to boil down gallons of American Sycamore sap to get a few ounces of Syrup, but the real use here is that the sap is a viable source of filtered water. While I’ve not verified this, I’ve heard that chunks of its bark can be used as a coffee substitute which is plausible. Additionally, there are some noted but unsubstantiated uses of the inner bark for herbal/medicinal use however, I advise caution with this for the usual reasons.

         

 

Related Plants: London Plane Tree (Platanus x hispanica), Oriental Plane (P. orientalis).

 

Recipe:

          -As I noted above, American Sycamore Sap is barely sweet and it takes a lot to make a gallon of Syrup. There is not a formal recipe for this so the following is a guide of sorts based on my personal experience in tapping trees for syrup making. First things first, the best time to tap an American Sycamore is late winter into early spring, you don’t want to go too far into spring because it can stunt the growth of the tree and make it too weak to fend off pests and disease. The science behind it is that the cold nights and warming thaw of days helps create pressure to move sap up from the roots. You start by drilling a small hole into the mature tree, use a rubber mallet to gently hammer in a spout and then hang a bucket off the tap or run a line down to a collection bottle/bucket. How long you tap should hinge on how mature and healthy your tree is and the environmental conditions but a month per tree is decent, but you should bank on tapping multiple trees to get the bulk numbers you need. Why bulk? Well, with American Sycamores it can take 60-100 gallons of sap to make 1-5 gallons of syrup, and being prompt about getting filled containers to your boiling pot is important as Sap can spoil quickly as bacteria moves in pretty quick. Also, I highly advice sealed containers/taps because critters will want to get into your collected sap. The sap you’ve harvested can be frozen if you’re not planning to use it immediately it is after all mostly water. For the next part you’re going to need a large cooking pot, not the size you’d use on your stove, though if you’re rendering in small batches then you use what you’ve got. Normally for gallons of sap you’d want something like a 40-100 quart size stock pot, ie what you might see in a stereotypical soup kitchen. Boiling gallons of sap down can understandably take hours and often it’s wiser to get a gas burner and do this outside because all the water you’re boiling off has to go somewhere and you really don’t want that steaming your house. Also boiling down sap can take 28-56 hours so smaller batches in a shallow rectangular pan can speed that up but you have to repeat the process multiple times to handle the quantity. What syrup you do get stores well because it’s highly resistant to bacterial growth due to its highly concentrated sugar content, it is not immune to intrusion by fungi such as mold. In a properly sealed container your syrup can conceivably remain shelf-stable and safe to eat for years if not decades.

 

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/platanus-occidentalis/

 

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://fedcoseeds.com/trees/american-sycamore-7540

 

https://shop.arborday.org/american-sycamore

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Fall Produce:

Garlic, Softneck

Soup Kits, Parsnip

Soup Kits, Turnip

Carrots

Celery

Onions

Parsnips

Red Potatoes

Turnips

Sweet Potatoes

 

Plants Coming Soon:

TBA, new stuff in spring

 

 

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