Acer pseudoplatanus

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Not to be confused with Acer platanoides.
Acer pseudoplatanus
Sycamore Maple leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae[1]
Genus: Acer
Species: A. pseudoplatanus
Binomial name
Acer pseudoplatanus
L.
Acer pseudoplatanus Samara (fruit)

Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore or sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Southwestern Asia, from France eastwards to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus.[2][3] It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the genus Platanus. The superficial similarity of the leaves of Acer pseudoplatanus to those of Platanus led to its being named pseudoplatanus, using the prefix pseudo- (from the Ancient Greek for "false"). Acer and Platanus differ in their leaf insertion (alternate in Platanus, paired or opposite in Acer) and in their fruit, which are spherical clusters in Platanus and paired samaras in Acer.

Other common names for the tree include false plane-tree,[4] great maple,[4] Scottish maple,[4] mock-plane,[5][6] sycamore,[4][6] or Celtic maple.[7]

Contents

Description[edit]

The sycamore maple is a large deciduous tree that reaches 20–35 m tall at maturity, with a broad, domed crown. On young trees, the bark is smooth and grey but becomes rougher with age and breaks up in scales, exposing the pale-brown-to-pinkish inner bark. The leaves are opposite, palmately 5-lobed large, 10–25 cm long and broad with a 5–15 cm petiole, with leathery texture and thick veins protruding on the underside surface with toothed edges, and dark green in colour with whitish underside; some cultivars have purple-tinged or yellowish leaves. The leaf-stalk is frequently tinged red. The leaves are often marked with black spots or patches which are caused by the fungus Rhytisma acerinum.[8] The monoecious yellow-green flowers are produced in spring on 10–20 cm pendulous racemes, with 20–50 flowers on each stalk. The 5–10 mm diameter seeds are paired in samaras, each seed with a 20–40 mm long wing to catch the wind and rotate when they fall; this helps them to spread further from the parent tree. The seeds are mature in autumn about 6 months after pollination.[3][9]

The sycamore is able to produce suckers from roots when they are exposed to sunlight after the mature tree has fallen.[citation needed]

A number of species of Lepidoptera use the leaves as a food source; see Lepidoptera that feed on maples.

The name "sycamore" originally belongs to the fig species Ficus sycomorus native to southwest Asia (this is the sycamore or sycomore referred to in the Bible).[citation needed] The name was later applied to this species (and others; see also Platanus) by reason of the superficial similarity in leaf shape.

Cultivation and uses[edit]

Sycamore maple bark on a mature tree

It is noted for its tolerance of wind, urban pollution and salt spray, which makes it a popular tree for planting in cities, along roads treated with salt in winter, and in coastal localities. It is cultivated and widely naturalised north of its native range in Northern Europe, notably in the British Isles and Scandinavia north to Tromsø, Norway (seeds can ripen as far north as Vesterålen); Reykjavík, Iceland; and Tórshavn on the Faroe Islands. It now occurs throughout the British Isles, having been introduced in the 17th century.[10]

Ted Green (2005)[citation needed] believes that the sycamore has been present in Britain since at least the Bronze Age citing that Sycamore pollen has often been confused with that of Field Maple in Bronze Age and Iron Age burials[citation needed]. He suggests that it should be renamed "Celtic Maple".

The lack of old native names for it has been used to demonstrate its absence in Britain before introduction in around 1487, but this is challenged by the presence of an old Scottish Gaelic name for the tree, fior chrann which suggests a longer presence in Scotland at least as far back as the Gaelic settlement at Dal Riada. This would make it either an archaeophyte (a naturalised tree introduced by humans before 1500) or perhaps native if it can be seen to have reached Scotland without human intervention.

At the moment it is usually classified as a neophyte, a plant that is naturalised but arrived with humans on or after the year 1500.[7] It has been suggested that it could have been common up until Roman times when it went through a decline possibly brought about by climate change and human activities, surviving only in the mountains of Scotland.

In North America, escapes from cultivation are most common in New England, New York City and the Pacific Northwest. It is planted in many temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, most commonly in New Zealand and on the Falkland Islands.

The popular cultivar 'Brilliantissimum' is notable for the bright salmon-pink colour of the young foliage. This cultivar has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11]

It is planted for timber production; the wood is white with a silky lustre, and hard-wearing, used for musical instrument making, furniture, wood flooring and parquetry. Occasional trees produce wood with a wavy grain, greatly increasing the value for decorative veneers. The wood is a medium weight for a hardwood, weighing 630 kg per cubic metre.[12] It is a traditional wood for use in making the backs, necks and scrolls of violins. The wood is often marketed as rippled sycamore.[13] Its uses are mainly indoor due to its perishability when in contact with soil.[12]

The flowers produce abundant nectar, which makes a fragrant, delicately flavoured and pale-coloured honey.

It is also used as a species for medium to large bonsai, in many areas of Europe where some fine specimens can be found.[14]

Invasive species[edit]

Acer pseudoplatanus is considered an environmental weed in some parts of Australia (Yarra Ranges, Victoria),[15] and also Mount Macedon, near Daylesford, parts of the Dandenongs and Tasmania where it is naturalised in the eucalypt forests.[16]

It is also considered to be invasive in New Zealand,[17] Norway,[18] and environmentally sensitive locations in the UK.[19]

The United States Department of Agriculture considers it invasive,[20] as does the State of New York.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 [and more or less continuously updated since]. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/.
  2. ^ Flora Europaea: Acer pseudoplatanus
  3. ^ a b Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
  4. ^ a b c d USDA GRIN entry for Acer pseudoplatanus
  5. ^ Tropicos entry for Acer pseudoplatanus
  6. ^ a b Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan. 
  7. ^ a b Milner, Edward (2011). "Trees of Britain and Ireland". Flora: 134. 
  8. ^ http://www.garden-centre.org/Sycamore.htm Sycamore profile
  9. ^ Humphries, C. J., Press, J. R., & Sutton, D. A. (1992). Trees of Britain and Europe. Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. ISBN 0-600-57511-X.
  10. ^ Preston, Pearman & Dines. (2002). New Atlas of the British Flora. Oxford University Press.
  11. ^ http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=39
  12. ^ a b Sycamore. Niche Timbers. Accessed 19-08-2009.
  13. ^ Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers (ASHS): Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus
  14. ^ D'Cruz, Mark. "Ma-Ke Bonsai Care Guide for Acer pseudoplatanus". Ma-Ke Bonsai. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-05. 
  15. ^ Environmental weeds
  16. ^ http://www.southwestnrm.org.au/sites/default/files/uploads/ihub/csurhes-s-edwards-r-1998-potential-environmental-weeds-australia-candidate-species.pdf
  17. ^ Howell, Clayston (May 2008). Consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. 292. Wellington, NZ.: Department of Conservation. ISBN 978-0-478-14413-0. 
  18. ^ Sycamore maple invasive species in Norway
  19. ^ http://www.ecotreecare.co.uk/woodland_management_sycamore.htm
  20. ^ Acer pseudoplatanus, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Profile, 22 Apr 2012 
  21. ^ "Interim List of Invasive Plant Species in New York State". Advisory Invasive Plant List. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 1 June 2013. 

External links[edit]

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