What is special about the sycamore tree?
Sycamore trees (Platanus occidentalis) make handsome shade trees for large landscapes. The most striking feature of the tree is the bark that has a camouflage pattern comprised of gray-brown outer bark that peels off in patches to reveal the light gray or white wood beneath.
What animals eat sycamore seeds?
Sycamore seeds are eaten by some birds including the purple finch, goldfinch, chickadees, and dark-eyed junco. The seeds are also eaten by muskrats, beavers, and squirrels. Hollow sycamores can provide dens for black bear.
What is the seed of a sycamore tree?
Sycamore seeds, the samara or keys, are formed from a symmetrical cluster of yellowish-green flowers that attract bluebottles for pollination. The female flowers have two fused carpels, which mature into a pair of winged fruits set at acute angles.
How long do sycamore seeds last?
Seeds of all sycamore species do just fine in similar storage conditions and can be easily stored for long periods under cold, dry conditions. Tests with sycamore seed have shown that at moisture contents of from 5 to 10% and stored at temperatures of 32 to 45 °F, they are suitable for storage for up to 5 years.
How many seeds does a sycamore tree produce?
One tree produces up to 10.000 seed per season. Sycamore seed are known as “helicopters” because of their wings that rotate similar to helicopter’s propeller on a wind.
How do you grow sycamore trees from seed?
Plant the seeds in a shallow tray. Sycamore seeds grow best when you start them in a tray and then transfer them to a pot. Choose a shallow growing tray, but one that’s deep enough to let the seed take root. The plant will grow to about 4 inches (10 cm) in the first 2 months.
What time of year do sycamore seeds fall?
autumn
When to find: seeds usually turn brown and fall from the tree in autumn. Sycamore seeds are usually in a narrower V shape than other winged seeds.
Are sycamore seeds toxic?
The sycamore tree (Acer Pseudoplatanus) contains a toxin (poison) in its seeds, seedlings and leaves which when ingested, can cause a muscle disease called Atypical Myopathy (AM).
Do sycamore trees have seeds?
The American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a fast-growing deciduous tree hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 through 9. These seed balls appear on the sycamore tree in the winter and fall to the ground in the spring, where they open to disperse their seeds.
What do sycamore tree seeds look like?
Sycamore leaves are reminiscent of maple leaves with more jagged serrations. They are larger and rougher than maple leaves, too. Seed/ Fruit Size: Seed balls are 1-1/8 inch (3 cm) round, just a little smaller than a ping pong ball covered with perhaps a hundred individual achenes— hard, dry single seeds.
How long does a sycamore tree live?
The sycamore tree is the largest deciduous trees in the Eastern United States. It grows to 30 meters tall and lives nearly 600 years.
How do sycamore trees reproduce?
Sycamore produces compact balls of tiny, single-sex flowers. The males and the females are in separate parts of the same tree. Wind pollination is the rule. When fertilized, the females develop into a round cluster of very light 1-seeded achenes.