[80] Liquidambar styraciflua L.
SYCAMORE.
The sycamore[81] also called the buttonwood and buttonball tree, is a large, open, spreading, quick-growing tree native along water-courses. It is adapted to regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 and is worth testing in regions 5, 6, 7, and 8. Its habit of shedding its outer bark in large flakes, leaving the white new bark showing in large patches, makes it a conspicuous tree wherever grown. The fruits are balls 1 inch or more in diameter and are sometimes objected to because they make dirt when falling; also the shed bark is considered objectionable. It is such a strong-growing handsome tree and succeeds so well under city conditions that it is being planted more and more frequently. It will stand more pruning and shaping than any other street tree. Without pruning it is too large for ordinary streets unless spaced at almost double the usual planting distance, with the trees staggered along the street instead of being planted opposite. Its high head and open habit of growth are distinct advantages for street planting. Its foliage, too, is a light green, which gives an impression of airiness with the shade. It is subject to attack by a fungus that kills the leaves while still small or partially mutilates them, giving them an unsightly appearance. In some places this trouble is quite serious.
[81] Platanus occidentalis L.
The California sycamore[82] is a native of California adapted to regions 1, 2, 3, and 4 and portions of region 5. It is similar in general characteristics to the sycamore.
[82] Platanus racemosa Nutt.
The London plane tree[83] is one of the Old World forms of sycamore. According to Alfred Render,[84] "the true oriental plane is rare in cultivation, the tree usually planted under this name being Platanus acerifolia" It it more compact in habit of growth and has the other good qualities of the sycamore. It is being more and more used on city streets and is proving satisfactory in regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. It will probably succeed in the warmer parts of regions 6 and 7 and also in regions 5 and 8. It is a more desirable tree for ordinary use than the sycamore, on account of its more compact habit and comparative freedom from disease, though it is tender in the northernmost sections.
[83] Platanus acerifolia (Ait.) Willd.
[84] Bailey, L. H., ed. New York, 1916. Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, v. 5, p. 2707.