The seeds disperse easily in spring when the brown balls fall to the ground. Sycamore balls contain tufts of fluffy tiny winged seeds. The seed balls appear on the tree in late fall or winter and fall to the ground in the spring. Initially, the sycamore seed balls have green color but they later change to brown. Sycamore trees produce spiky seed balls that measure 1” (2.5 cm) in diameter. The two unique identifying features of sycamore trees are their exfoliating thin bark that gives the tree a patchy look, and their round seed balls or pods that contain downy tufts of seeds. In time, the mature trees tend to become hollow.

Sycamore trees are prone to fungal diseases as they grow. Sycamore wood is used to make musical instruments, butcher’s blocks, and furniture. Sycamore tree timber is a hardwood with a coarse grain. Due to their enormous size, sycamores are not common types of trees in residential gardens. In fact, Sycamore trees are one of the largest deciduous trees native to North America. Sycamore trees are fast-growing popular deciduous shade trees in city landscapes and parks. Some tree species that are not in the Platanus genus are also called sycamore – these are the sycamore maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus), and sycamore fig ( Ficus sycomorus). The most common sycamore trees are the American sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis), Mexican sycamore ( Platanus mexicana), and California Sycamore tree (Platanus racemosa). There are about six species of sycamore trees in the Platanus genus. Sycamore trees are generally easy to identify due to their bark that peels away, revealing whitish or orangey patches. These massive broad-leafed trees grow to between 100 and 130 ft. Sycamore trees are often known as plane trees. Sycamore trees are flowering trees in the plant genus Platanus and the family Platanaceae.

Michigan tree leaf guide