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SYCAMOEE TEEE. 
Acer pseudo-platanus. A. foliis quinque lohis^ inæqualîter dentatis subtus 
glances centibus ; Jloribus subspicaiis^ pendulis. 
This beautiful tree is diffused over all the centre of Europe, and abounds 
especially in Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland. It thrives most luxuriantly 
in moist and fertile soils, and when expanded to its full dimensions, it is 60 
or 70 feet in height, and 2 or 3 feet in diameter. Its head is spacious, and 
its foliage thick; On old trees, the bark of the trunk is deeply furrowed ; 
on such as are less than 6 inches in diameter, it is perfectly smooth. The 
leaves of the Sycamore are opposite with long petioles, large, and distinctly 
divided into five unequal lobes ; they are of a dark green above, and whi- 
tish underneath- In the heat of midsummer, they are covered with a very 
sweet viscid substance, which is gathered with avidity by bees. The 
flowers appear towards the end of April; they are small, greenish, and 
grouped into pendulous clusters from 3 to 4 inches in length. The seed is 
in capsules about an inch in length, united at the base and terminated by 
a membranous wing. 
When the Sycamore is fully grown, its wood is fine grained and suscep- 
tible of a brilliant polish. In those parts of Europe where it is most com- 
mon, it is in demand with turners for making wooden ware. It is used 
for making violins, and when its grain is undulated, for ornamenting forte- 
pianos. By the interesting experiments of Mr. Hartig, Grand Master of 
the forests of Prussia, on the comparative value of different species of wood 
as combustibles, the Sycamore was found to afford more heat than any 
other wood of the north of Europe. 
Sugar has been made from the Sycamore, in Bohemia and Hungary. 
Though the attempt has completely succeeded, it appears certain that the 
sugar is yielded in a smaller proportion than by the Sugar Maple. 
In France and England, the Sycamore is a rare tree in the forests, but it 
is multiplied in pleasure grounds, on account of its rapid growth, the early 
development of its foliage in the spring, and the fine shade which it affords 
through the summer. 
It has been observed in England that the foliage of this tree is less in- 
jured than that of others, by the saline vapors wafted from the sea ; hence 
it is chosen for situations exposed to these winds. The justness of the 
observation I have never had an opportunity of examining. 
The Sycamore appears to me to possess no one superior property, which 
