| Type: |
Deciduous Belongs to the Maple family |
| Size: |
60 to 70 feet tall Up to 9 or 10 foot girth With a wide spreading crown and short trunk |
| Habitat: |
Good humidity and soil moisture Shady and moist sites, usually strewn rock fragments and boulders Chiefly on substrata rich in calcium, close to where water seeps from the ground |
| Located: |
Distribution of sycamore is associated with Beech,
Is centred in Central Europe
Extends from Belgium to the Caucasian mountains
And from Northern Germany to Southern Italy
Dominant forests are small, and mainly found in the Western Alps
In these mountain regions, a tree can live for up to 500 years
Only becomes a dominant canopy tree, in habitats not suitable for Beech
Does not naturally occur in most oceanic areas of Europe, but
Following planting it has become widely naturalised
Was introduced in Great Britain in the 16th century
Now one of the commonest tree species in the British Isles |
| Bark: |
Grey-Brown to Red-Brown
Breaks up into large scales that often exfoliate to reveal orange |
| Leaves: |
Opposite, simple, 5 lobed, 3 to 6 inches long and broad
|
| Flower: |
Monoecious, yellow in a 3 to 5 inch hanging cluster |
| Fruit: |
Pair of Samaras, spreading at about 45 degrees, each 1 ½” long
Mature late summer to early autumn Is tapped for Maple Syrup |
| Timber: |
Colour white to cream coloured.
Similar to Poplar, but Poplar is much softe |
| Drying: |
If not end-reared soon after sawing, it can develop grey to blue streaks.
Sometimes has a wavy grain, and is known as Rippled or Fiddleback Sycamore
Used for making backs for fiddles
It rises in value, the longer or more it is left to dry |
| How does it Turn |
Is a good wood to turn and has many uses in:
Furniture, kitchen and butchers blocks, and dairy utensils
Also used for pyrography, because of it’s white colour
Takes dye very well, due to it’s light colour
I found it similar to working with Beech. |