^ I 'HE Sycamore Maple is vigorous and 
hardy, free from insect and fungus 
enemies, attractive throughout the year and 
furnishes a very dense shade. It grows rap¬ 
idly and is easily started from seed. This 
tree is readily distinguished from the other 
Maples. The leaves bear a general resem¬ 
blance to those of the Red Maple in their 
outline, but they are denser in texture and 
the lobes are broader toward the tip. They 
are palmately five-lobed but the two basal 
lobes are so small as to make it practically 
a three-lobed leaf. The veins are very dis¬ 
tinct, especially on the under surface where 
they project 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 lighter and the whole 
blade changes 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 char¬ 
acter. 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 Airs. Dyson’s “Stories of the Trees,” 
may be found an account of the origin of the 
name given to this species which in Europe is 
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 sycamore, how¬ 
ever, 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 be¬ 
cause 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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