The Sycamore

American sycamore is a massive tree and can attain the largest trunk diameter of any of the Eastern U.S. hardwoods. The native sycamore has a grand branch display and its bark is unique among all trees - you can always identify a sycamore just by looking at the bark. The alternate maple-looking leaves are large and also unique to those familiar with sycamore.

The Common North American Sweetgum

• American sycamore

Dormant Identification:
Has zig-zag stout twigs; has mottled "camouflage" exfoliating (peeling) bark (green, white, tan); has spherical multiple achenes with long stalks (fruit balls); has leaf scar nearly surrounds the bud; has numerous raised bundle scars; has buds are large and cone-shaped.
Leaves: alternate, simple, long-stalked, palmately lobed.
Bark: smooth, whitish and mottled; peeling off.
Fruit: nutlets crowded in ball.

ash | beech | basswood | birch | black cherry | black walnut/butternut | cottonwood | elm | hackberry | hickory | holly | locust | magnolia | maple | oak | poplar | red alder | royal paulownia | sassafras | sweetgum | sycamore | tupelo | willow | yellow-poplar

ID Glossary