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

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (-): [On Winter Haitus]

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is February 7^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you can’t make it to the City Market come on down to the North South Brewery Market which is at 304 Williams Street (Right off WestRussel Street), between 1pm and 5pm every Saturday.

 

Water Oak

 

Note from the Author: New plant, and a delayed post!

This picture is why I say you should gather a few leaves and draw a consensus about shape between them. On this one braNch they're elliptical but on the leaves in the background (lower left), they're spatulate shaped. 

Note the alternate branching pattern.

Mature water Oak bark is pretty distinctive

 

Common Name: Water Oak

 

Other Common Names: Black Oak, North American Barren Oak, North American Black Oak, Possum Oak.

 

Botanical Family: Fagaceae (The Beech Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Quercus nigra

 

Description & Habitat:  Water Oak is commonly found in Cumberland county North Carolina, and in our areas is effectively an evergreen. It is native to North American and is a fast growing medium sized tree at maturity. It often grows to a height of 50 to 80 feet tall with a canopy that can be up to 70 feet in width. Amongst members of the Oak genus it is generally considered to have softer wood than others and it has a noticeably shorter life span. Your average Water Oak often lives 30 to 50 years though in the urban environment that may be even shorter because of the usual impacts of soil compaction, damage and fungal intrusion. The native region in which you can find Water Oaks is the central or eastern United States, and they prefer forests, flood plains and beside rivers, streams or sloped areas with soil that is on the dry side. You can also commonly find them in the Coastal Plains and Piedmont regions of North Carolina. As you might expect Water Oaks prefer rich moderate to wet soils with a acidic pH and full sun exposure. Saplings will tolerate less than this but will grow to effectively create the aforementioned exposure environment and enrich their soil with dropped leaves. You can identify a Water Oak easily by its uniquely shaped leaves which are roughly spatulate or spoon shaped. I personally think they often look more like a vertically stretched version of the club from a deck of playing cards. There is a fair amount of differing leaf morphology on a given tree so you may have to collect or examine a bunch of leaves to reach a leaf shape consensus. The big problem with this tree is its weak branch architecture when compared to other Oak Species. The branch architecture lends to breakage in high winds or ice events which makes it less than ideal for planting near structures. It is however good for planting in open spaces or near bodies of water. Water Oaks are also a host plant for the Larvae of at least seven native species of Moths and Butterflies. In colder climates where Water Oak is deciduous its leaves turn a nice golden yellow color in the fall. As a final note for this section, it has been recorded that Water Oak can produce hybrids with Southern Red Oak (Q. falcata), Bluejack Oak (Q. incana), Turkey Oak (Q. laevis), Blackjack Oak (Q. marilandica), Willow Oak (Q. phellos), Shumard Oak (Q. shumardii), and Black Oak (Q. velutina).

 

Special Toxicity Note:  The tannin contained in the leaves and acorns of this tree aren’t toxic in general however they can cause nausea and cause iron absorption problems in people. The leaves from this tree are toxic to most livestock with the exception of Pigs.

 

 

When & What to Harvest:

          Water Oaks are interesting when it comes to the Oak family because their primary use since the 17^th century is as firewood. The leaves of this oak are particularly useful in the compost pile for making leaf mold and they absolutely pulverize when run over with a mower using a mulching blade. The Acorns can be eaten but often they are on the small side and can pose a slip hazard where they fall on hard surfaces as they range from the size of a medium ball bearing to that of a marble (1/2-1”). This means you would have to collect a lot of them just to extract a modest amount of nut meat to use for flour. Also the problem of tannin is still there, you’re still going to have to leech it out using boiling or soaking methods. In North Carolina generally speaking Water Oak will have acorns from September to November, but weather conditions might cause them to be plus/minus a month in timing. What you want to do here is to gather several pounds of Water Oak acorns with the expectation that you for every three to four pounds of unprocessed acorns that you gather will produce about a pound of flour in this case. The difficulty of this can vary on the number of trees and if or if not it is a masting year. Masting years are when trees produce so many extra seeds that things that might eat them cannot possibly collect them all. So tannin extraction or leeching is a pretty simple process you can either boil them or let them soak. Both methods prefer that you shell the acorns first; boiling is the faster method and all you have to do is shell your acorns then boil them until the water turns dark. Dump the water and replace it with fresh water and boil again, keep doing this until the water is clear you can add Baking Soda to accelerate this process. The alternative is that you can place the bag in a stream so it’s constantly wet and wait a t least a day possibly several until the nuts are no longer bitter. From here you can dry them, crush them finely to make Acorn Flour, or crush them coarsely so the chunks are of even size and make something akin to Grits. Or you can roast them and eat them as a trail mix sort of snack. There are tons of recipes for making breads with Acorns, failing that there are several companies that make Acorn Flour so you can work out recipes without all the grunt work.  As a final note for harvesting, Water Oak can be a host for Lions Mane Mushrooms in the wild.

 

Related Plants: Black Jack Oak (Q. marilandica) is visually very similar.

 

Recipe:

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra

 

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

          -There are a few sites that sell Water Oak, but it would be cheaper to just find one and collect the acorns as there are tons of them in the area.

 

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

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (-): [On Winter Haitus]

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 24^th (Weather Permitting) at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Scarlet Oak

Note from the Author: New plant!

 

 

Look at that root flare!

The bark is very distinct.

An acorn and some of the leaves turning their trademark scarlet color.

More scarlet color and here you can see the branching pattern

A nice canopy is developing on this one.

 

Common Name: Scarlet Oak

 

Other Common Names: Black Oak

 

Botanical Family: Fagaceae (The Beech Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Quercus coccinea

 

Description & Habitat:  Scarlet oaks are native to the eastern and central United States and thus can be found on dry sandy soil that tends to be acidic in ph. It is a critical tree in Oak-heath forests as a canopy forming species. Scarlet Oaks tend to have a crown that is up to twenty-four feet wide with a maximum height of one hundred feet. The trunk diameter of these trees can be up to three feet at maturity. The leaves of this tree are deeply lobed with five to six primary lobes and smaller lobes on the leave tips giving its leaves an almost tasseled appearance. Scarlet Oak gets its name from its fall color display where it’s leaves turn from a rich green color to an intense scarlet. the botanical latin name of this street tree only reflects the first name as the latin word coccinea means ‘scarlet’. The latin word ‘Quercus’ just means Oak and is said to have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European word ‘kwerkwu’. Interestingly, Oaks are a genus of hardwood trees or shrubs under the Beech Family (Fagaceae). Generally speaking Oaks are considered a keystone species and as such they can be found in a large number of habitats naturally or through the actions of human beings. Additionally Oaks also live in association with numerous types of fungi such as Truffles, but also Lion’s Mane. Oaks as a species support almost a thousand species of Caterpillar and are a host to numerous types of Gall Wasps. The leaves of most oaks contain enough tannin to be toxic to a lot of cattle however pigs can eat them without issue. The most well-known use of Oak wood is in casks for alcohol, furniture, and Cork. Scarlet Oaks are fast growing by oak tree standards, and they tolerate dry soils, urban pollution and they prefer acidic soil. But because they do produce fair sized surface roots, and their root flare can easily heave curbs and sidewalks they are not the best tree for restricted tree pits in the urban landscape.

 

The Scarlet oak is the official tree of Washington D.C.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  The tannin contained in the leaves and acorns of this tree aren’t toxic in general however they can cause nausea and cause iron absorption problems in people. The leaves from this tree are toxic to most livestock with the exception of Pigs.

.

 

When & What to Harvest: You can extract Tannin from the leaves and acorns which is an essential compound if you are planning to tan leather naturally. Tannins also have a role in wine making but in a survival situation those acorns might just save your life. In autumn if you gather acorns as they turn brown you should either store them in a cool dry place for later or shell immediately for use. If you need to use them immediately, place whole, chopped or coarsely ground nut meats in a cloth like a clean t-shirt, and tie it with a string. Place this in boiling water until the water turns brown, then drain the water, and add more and repeat the process until the water stays clear. This funny colored water is full of tannins and can be used for leather tanning projects. Alternately you can place the bag in a stream so it’s constantly wet and wait a t least a day possibly several until the nuts are no longer bitter. From here you can dry them, crush them finely to make Acorn Flour, or crush them coarsely so the chunks are of even size and make something akin to Grits. Or you can roast them and eat them as a trail mix sort of snack. There are tons of recipes for making breads with Acorns, failing that there are several companies that make Acorn Flour so you can work out recipes without all the grunt work. 

 

Related Plants: Two very similar Oaks are the Black Oak (Quercus velutina) and, the Red Oak (Q. rubra).

 

Recipe:

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-coccinea/

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=76&contentid=12060-1

  

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://shop.arborday.org/scarlet-oak?srsltid=AfmBOop_eLgz26L85me7L7_90f8XJWfms79xZBPQHsAeJ89stlpMqi81

 

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

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (-): [On Winter Haitus]

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 10^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.