THE SYCAMORE MAPLE 



THE Sycamore Maple has been rather extensively planted in the Eastern States as 

 a shade and ornamental tree. It has many advantages for this purpose, being 

 vigorous and hardy, free from insect and fungus enemies, attractive throughout 

 the year and furnishing in summer a very dense shade. It grows rapidly and is easily 

 started from seed. 



This tree is readily distinguished at any season from the other Maples. In summer 

 the leaves bear a general resemblance to those of the Red Maple in their outline, but they 

 are much denser in texture and the lobes are broader toward the tip. These leaves are 

 palmately five-lobed but the two basal lobes are commonly so small as to make it practi- 

 cally a three-lobed leaf. The veins are very distinct, especially on the under surface, where 

 they project prominently, and are more or less clothed with fine hairs along their sides. 

 The upper surface of the leaf is dark green, the under surface being decidedly lighter, 

 and the whole blade changing in autumn to a distinct yellow color. The fruit matures in 

 autumn, being borne in long clusters with rather small key-fruits. After the leaves have 

 fallen the bare tree presents a sturdy appearance, with the large green buds as its most 

 distinctive character. In spring the long drooping racemes of blossoms hanging from the 

 ends of the young branches are very distinctive. The young leaves as they push out are 

 covered on the under surface with a dense cottony down. 



In Mrs. Dyson's interesting little English book, "The Stories of the Trees," may be 

 found an account of the origin of the name commonly given to this species, which in Europe 

 seems to be generally called simply the Sycamore, although this term is more properly 

 applied to the plane-tree: 



" In the miracle plays, it seems, one of the favorite scenes for acting was the flight 

 of Joseph and Mary into Egypt, and one legend said that on their way they rested under a 

 sycamore tree. No sycamores, however, grew in the countries where these plays were 

 acted and so our sycamore was chosen in its place because its shady leaves were a little 

 like those of the true sycamore, and ever since then it has borne the name of the tree 

 whose place it took. Before that time it was called the mock-plane because its leaves were 

 the same shape as the plane-tree leaves, and by that name it is still known in some places." 



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