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Trees called sycamore

The name sycamore has been given to several kinds of tree whose leaves are somewhat alike. It comes from the Ancient Greek sykómoros, meaning 'fig-mulberry'. It was first applied to the fig Ficus sycomorus, the sycamore referred to in the Bible, which is native to Africa and Southwest Asia.

American sycamore

Some North American species of Platanus are called sycamores, especially Platanus occidentalis. Platanus occidentalis, the American sycamore, is native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeastern Mexico, extreme southern Ontario and extreme southern Quebec. In the United Kingdom, by contrast, the name sycamore typically refers to Acer pseudoplatanus. The American sycamore can become a massive tree, with heights reaching up to 24 m (80 ft) or more. Its mottled bark, which flakes off in large, irregular masses, often makes it easy to tell from other trees. Its wood has been used extensively for butcher's blocks.

Plane trees

Platanus is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species, the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of the genus are tall, reaching 30-50 m in height. In English they are often known as planes or plane trees. The sycamore maple belongs to a different family that is only distantly related to them.

Sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia, known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States. Its bark is grey, smooth when young and later flaking in irregular patches. It was introduced to the British Isles by 1500. Its timber is hard-wearing, creamy-white and close-grained, and is used for musical instruments, furniture, joinery, wood flooring and kitchen utensils. The wood is a medium weight for a hardwood, weighing 630 kg per cubic metre, and it turns golden with age.

Sycamore fig

Ficus sycomorus is native to Africa south of the Sahel and north of the Tropic of Capricorn, excluding the central-west rainforest areas. It grows naturally in Lebanon, the southern Arabian Peninsula, Cyprus, Palestine and Egypt, and in very localised areas in Madagascar. Its fruit is a large edible fig, 2 to 3 cm in diameter.

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