The woods afforded by the American sycamores have unusually complicated, cross-grained, but beautiful structures, difficult to work, but standing well and valued for cabinet work and small articles. American trees are often very large.
American buttonball or sycamore trees are distinguished by rough balls which remain hanging on long stems throughout the winter. The bark also is shed to an unusual extent; flakes of the outer cover drop away, exposing smooth inner surfaces so white as to appear as if painted. Six or seven species are included in the genus; three occur in North America. Platanus is from platus, signifying broad, and refers to the shape of the leaves. [p066]
FOOTNOTE
[40] Brockhaus, Konversations-Lexicon (B. 15, p. 536).
Sycamore. Buttonwood. Buttonball-tree. Platanus occidentalis Linn.
Nomenclature. (Sudworth.)
Sycamore, Buttonwood, Buttonball Tree (local and common names).
Buttonball (R. I., N. Y., Pa., Fla.).
Plane Tree (R. I., Del., S. C., Kans., Nebr., Ia.).
Water Beech (Del.).