Lowcountry sycamores among first trees to signal fall’s arrival
The Lowcountry isn’t best known for its spectacular autumn foliage. But lovely fall colors occur here, too, if you look closely.
Sycamores are among the first of our trees to change color - from green to muted yellow, then to yellowish brown. The dry, papery leaves remain on the branches for quite a while as late summer merges into fall.
American sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) are related to the London plane trees commonly planted throughout England and Europe. Their lobed, maple-like leaves are large – up to six or seven inches across – with three prominent veins and coarse teeth along the wavy margins.
But sycamores are more easily recognized by their smooth, multicolored, mottled trunks, whose bark is forever peeling off in large, irregular pieces.
The trees produce conspicuous seed-balls, about an inch across, that persist throughout the winter. These “buttonballs” are aggregates of tiny one-seeded fruits armed with stiff hairs.
When the balls eventually fall apart, the tiny fruits are dispersed by the wind.
Some are eaten by gray squirrels, as well as by Carolina Chickadees, American Goldfinches, and other birds.
American sycamores once were a component of vast old-growth forests in the eastern and central United States. Logging, farming, and other human activities have reduced these magnificent forests to tiny, scattered remnants.
Measurements of a few huge sycamores attest to the impressive sizes and ages some of these trees can attain. Records vary, but the Webster Sycamore, in West Virginia, was 112 (some say 120) feet high, with a crown spread of 90 feet. Unfortunately the tree was damaged by vandalism and disease, and it fell over during a winter storm in 2010. Its age was estimated at 350 years, perhaps as much as 500.
Another sycamore, still living, is even bigger. It’s near Dickerson, Maryland, and is 137 feet tall, with a crown spread of 108 feet.
And it’s still growing.
Vicky McMillan, a retired biologist formerly at Colgate University,lives on Hilton Head Island. She can be reached at vicky.mcmillan@gmail.com.
This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Lowcountry sycamores among first trees to signal fall’s arrival."