The Sycamore tree

A Sycamore tree on the UEA campus. Taken on the 17th November 2016.

Family - Sapindaceae

Genus - Acer

Species - Acer pseudoplatanus

Sycamore is a species of deciduous broadleaf tree, and is a non-native species to the UK. Sycamore is native to areas of central, eastern and southern Europe, and was probably introduced to the UK during the Middle Ages. The name of the Sycamore tree means "like a plane tree", which refers to the tree's leaf shape. and it is often confused with the Maple trees, and although different, they do share the same genus.

Sycamore trees can grow up to 35m in height and can live for approximately 400 years. Their leaves are around 7-16cm and have five lobes around the edges. The flowers of the Sycamore tree are small and often yellow tinged with green and hang in spikes, or "racemes" (clusters of flowers attached by short stalks along a central stem). Once pollination has occurred, it is the female flowers that develop into the sycamore's distinctive "winged" fruits known as "samaras". These are the "helicopters" you may have played with as a child.

These trees do play a crucial role in habitat provision. for wildlife. For example, aphids are very attracted to the Sycamore trees and as a result, they host a variety of predatory species, such as ladybirds, hoverflies and small birds. The leaves of the tree may be eaten by caterpillars of various different moth species, including the Sycamore Moth and Plumed Prominent.

Sycamore timber is hard and strong and can thus be used for furniture making and kitchenware. The tree also acts as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, as they have large crowns of green leaves in the summer months, and beautiful orange and golden leaves come autumn. This makes them quite the talking point! They can also be widespread in cities sand large towns, as they are notoriously tolerant of pollution.

Despite the beauty of the Sycamore tree, as a species it does face certain threats, notably the disease "sooty bark". The disease is caused by the fungus Cryptostroma corticale as the spores of the fungus begin to grow beneath the bark of infected trees. The Sooty Bark disease results in the wilting of leaves and the death of branches, whilst patches of bark which overly the collections of fungal spores will peel off to expose the fungus. It is believed that the disease is more prevalent in trees exposed to increased summer temperatures, or those under an elevated water-stress, which does not bode well for these trees in the face of climate change. The spores of this fungus are not only detrimental to sycamore trees, but they can also cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis in human lungs (inflammation), better known as "Maple-bark disease". It can cause breathing difficulty and fever.