About American Sycamore

From the U.S. Forest Service:

"American sycamore is a native, deciduous tree. Although not the tallest, it is among the tallest trees of eastern deciduous forests.  Mature heights range from 60 to 120 feet (18-37 m). Reported diameters range from 2 to 6.6 feet (0.6-2 m). The bark of young trunks has small scales.  Bark at the base of large trunks is deeply furrowed and up to 3 inches thick (7.6 cm); on the upper portions of the trunk the bark exfoliates in patches, leaving areas of inner bark exposed. The leaves are 4 to 10 inches (10-25.4 cm) long, often as broad or broader than they are long.  American sycamores form widespread, strongly branched root systems. The fruit is a plumed achene; numerous fruits are tightly aggregated into a ball-shaped fruiting head 0.8 to 2 inches (2-5 cm) in diameter.

American sycamore is characterized by rapid growth throughout its life; it is also long lived (over 250 years). Open-grown individuals can achieve a crown spread of 100 feet (30 m) or more. A survey of big trees in seven mid-southern states reported that the second and fourth largest trees (of all species) were American sycamores. The largest American sycamore in these states was a Tennessee tree 140 feet tall (42.67 m) and 65.9 inches (167.4 cm) dbh, with a circumference of 207 inches (525.8 cm), the largest circumference of any tree in these states."