I stopped to take these shots of sycamore maple, or Acer pseudoplatanus, since we've been covering trees with fall color quite a bit lately and this tree is probably at its peak. As you can see, while the leaves are not as fiery as its cousin, Acer saccharum, they are a fairly clear, bright yellow. The leaves are also serrated, unlike sugar maple, Norway maple, or even hedge maple. Acer rubrum, or red maple, also has serrated leaves, as do other species in the genus, but I've yet to post on them. But, if you're familiar with red maple leaves, you may notice that the leaf below is a broader shape, with five distinct lobes, whereas A. rubrum often has trident-like leaves. The lobes on sycamore maple also are a touch fatter or wider at the mid-point; red maple lobes consistently taper in size and are widest near the middle of the leaf, narrowing to the points. Finally, and perhaps obviously, red maple leaves this time of year are usually, well, red.
Sycamore maple is called thus because the bark has a thick, scaly bark similar to sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). And here's a good example where nomenclature can get a touch confusing:
London plane tree is Platanus x. acerifolia and the species name is indicating the leaves look like Acer, or maple.
Norway maple is called Acer platanoides because the leaves look like london plane tree, or Platanus x. acerifolia.
Sycamore maple is called Acer pseudoplatanus because the bark (below) looks like sycamore (and probably because platanoides was already taken!).
The whole thing gets a bit cyclical, like a flawed math formula, doesn't it?
The tree is not native and while it is not as outrageously invasive as Norway maple, it can conquer over natives due to its high tolerance to salt, drought and wind. It's just that resilience which lead to the plant being brought here from Europe and Southwest Asia, sometime in the late 19th century.
I learned a new tree today.
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