Studies of Trees

by Jacob Joshua Levison

Fig. 48.—Bark of the Sycamore Tree.

The Sycamore or Plane Tree (Platanus occidentalis)

Distinguishing characters: The peculiar mottled appearance of the bark ([Fig. 48]) in the trunk and large branches is the striking character here. The bark produces this effect by shedding in large, thin, brittle plates. The newly exposed bark is of a yellowish green color which often turns nearly white later on. Round seed balls, about an inch in diameter, may be seen hanging on the tree all winter. In this species, the seed balls are usually solitary, while in the Oriental sycamore, a European tree similar to the native one, they appear in clusters of two, or occasionally of three or four. See [Fig. 49].

Fig. 49.—Seed-balls of the Oriental Sycamore. Note one Seed-ball cut in half.

Fig. 50.—Gray or White Birch Trees.