Acer pseudoplatanus
Sycamore Maple
Aacherenholz, Aaschtert
Erable sycomore
Bergahorn

Size:
The sycamore reaches a height of up to 25 m and can live up to 500 years. Its broad crown is matched by a deep and strong root system that makes it storm-resistant.

Leaf: 
The leaves are five-lobed, darker on top than underneath and long-stalked. The autumn colouring is bright yellow.

Flower/fruit: 
The flowers only appear after the leaves at the end of April-beginning of May and are an excellent bee pasture. The typical wing fruits are spread by the wind.

Wood: 
The sycamore maple is a noble hardwood. Its wood is valued in instrument making, e.g. as sound wood for stringed instruments. Its wood is the lightest of the native maple woods and therefore a sought-after furniture wood. Precious veneer is curly or bird's-eye maple from trunks with wavy or bird's-eye-like wood structures.

Trivia/Use: 
The strong shade cast makes the sycamore a popular avenue or yard tree. It likes cool and moist sites, the soil should not be too dry and low in nutrients. Remarkable is the platan-like, scaly bark on older trees with an enormous variety of colours and shapes.