About this tree
Acer pseudoplatanus, or sycamore maple, is native to central and southern Europe and western Asia. This large, long-lived deciduous tree can reach heights of up to 35 m and is often found in mountainous or coastal regions. The broad, distinctively shaped leaves are dark green with toothed lobes, turning yellow or brown in autumn. In spring, it produces hanging clusters of greenish-yellow flowers that attract bees and hoverflies in particular. Its winged seeds, samaras, are also called “helicopter seeds” due to the way they catch the wind and spin as they are dispersed and fall to the ground. The tree supports a wide range of insect species and is a wonderful example for observing a food chain on a summer day: Sycamore maples are a particularly popular source of sap for aphids that attract predators like ladybirds, which in turn attract birds like swallows and swifts. Sycamore maple is known for its hardiness and wind tolerance, which has made it a widespread choice for reforestation and urban planting. The timber is light-coloured, strong, and valued for furniture and musical instruments, such as violins. Its mottled bark, which flakes off in patches with age, similar to a plane tree, earned the tree its Latin name “pseudoplatanus” (false plane).