Sycamore Leaf

[Pandabean]

Just been out in the woods finding some wood (actually mostly sitting under a tree out the rain ), one of the bits I found had what is like a sycamore leaf however the underside is a brownish red. I couldn't see any sign of the"helicopter" seeds that you usually see with them. However the area was really shaded.
It is 5 lobed, quite broad and slightly jagged appearance around the edge.

Is what I am describing a sycamore leaf? I want to be sure before I start carving the wood.

Its just that I was reading that in Europe it is reffered to as a great Maple which is getting me confused.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[alpha_centaur]

I think sycamores and maples come from the same family of trees so it could be called that elsewhere. I'm not an expert though.

 

[dwardo]

There are loads of different types of sycamore (Acer) and the leaves vary, there is also the London plane which looks like an acer but isnt

The one that springs to mind with pointyerr leaf tips is a norwegian maple (Acer platanoides)

 

[K.NYPH]

If the stalk to the leaf is red and the leaf large it is a Sycamore,hope this helps .There are a couple of exceptions but in your case i dont think they apply.
Im a woodsman by the way
Cheers

 

[bushwacker bob]

Sycamore is a 'false plane' acer pseudoplatinus. psuedo= false, platinus= plane.
It gets it name from its similarity to platinus ocidentallis, aka London Plane, but doesn't have the ability to shed bark and get rid of pollutants.It has a distinctive smooth bark even on mature examples. Reddish undersides or margins of the leaves are quite common
It is perfectly safe for kitchen ware and deadwood makes good fire hearths and drills.

 

[demographic]

As already been mentioned what we call sycamore in Blighty is what the yanks call a Maple (acer).

Theres also london planes which have the same (ish) shape of leaf but doesn't have the helicopter seeds. Plus its got its seeds in little balls like this...

Just to confuse matters even more the yanks call london planes Sycamore.
For what its worth I tend to agree with them as what we call sycamores are really a maple anyway.

 

[dwardo]

Just to confuse matters even more the yanks call london planes Sycamore.
For what its worth I tend to agree with them as what we call sycamores are really a maple anyway.

That explains a lot!

I hear that a lot of guys in the states use "sycamore" for bows, i tried it and it was absolutely useless, bad in compression and tension, doesnt drop its branches so full of knots.
I guess i will have to try London plane if the opportunity ever occurs..

 

[demographic]

Theres a London Plane fairly close to my house that has a trunk almost totally made up of burl, I read up on it and the book I have suggested that it's been affected by a viral infection and the author has heard them described as Boabab Plane.
When you see it, its pretty obvious why...

 

[bushwacker bob]

there's a lot of nice timber there, Demo.

 

[demographic]

there's a lot of nice timber there, Demo.

You would get a hell of a lot of bowl blanks out of it, thats for sure