American Sycamore

Also known as the Buttonwood, Buttonball tree, and American Planetree, this tree is native to the eastern U.S., south to northern Florida and Texas. Leaves are 3 and sometimes 5-lobed, flat medium green in summer; fall color is tan to brown. The hard wood of the American Sycamore is often used for butcher blocks. Its bark is distinctive: on older trees it peels and flakes, leaving a lighter underbark. This tree can reach enormous heights of 150 feet in its native habitat and up to 100 feet in the city. It is one parent of the London Plane tree.