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Acer pseudoplatanus - L.

Sycamore

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 200
Family	Aceraceae	Genus	Acer
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe. Extensively naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Found in woodland, hedgerows etc. in Britain, in all but very poor soils[17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 30m by 15m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Sap; Seedpod.

Edible Uses: Sweetener.

The sap contains sugar and can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[183]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. It can be harvested in late winter but is not produced in economic quantities[2, 4, 13, 105]. About 25 grams of sugar is obtained from a litre of the sap[4]. The sap can also be used to make a wine[183]. The flow is best on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. The keys of the developing seeds have a sweet exudation on them and this is often sucked by children[183]. The leaves can be wrapped round food such as buns when baking them and they impart a sweet flavour[66].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Astringent; Vulnerary.

The bark has mild astringent properties and has been used to make a wash for skin problems and an eyewash for sore eyes[21]. The inner bark of the tree, containing the sweet sap, can be used as a dressing for wounds[21].

Other Uses

Charcoal; Fuel; Pioneer; Preservative; Shelterbelt; Wood.

The trees are fast-growing and make a good windbreak for exposed and maritime areas[11, 200]. They are often used in shelterbelt plantings[200]. This species usually self-sows freely and is often the first tree to invade disused farmland, cleared woodland etc. Its ability to tolerate difficult environments make it a good pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands. When grown in Britain it is usually gradually displaced over a period of 200 years or more by native species until it becomes just a minor component of the woodland[K]. The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[18, 20]. Wood - very hard, heavy, elastic, easy to work, fairly resistant to insects. Used for carving, small domestic items, veneer etc[4, 13, 46, 171]. It is a good fuel and also makes a good charcoal that can be used as a fuel[115].

Cultivation details

Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil and a sunny position[11, 17], but tolerates most conditions including poor soils and some shade[13, 17, 200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. Dislikes wet soils[115]. Grows better in the cooler areas of the country[11]. Very wind-resistant, tolerating maritime exposure though it is often wind and salt pruned in very exposed areas[4, 11, 17]. A fairly aggressive tree, it self-sows freely and inhibits the growth of nearby plants[18, 20]. It is often one of the first trees to colonize open land. It is fast growing and establishes rapidly. It can supplant native trees, at least in the short-term, though recent evidence suggests that in the long term it does not usually become the dominant tree in British woodlands and it is often recommended for planting in broad-leaved woods by the Forestry Commission, especially in windy areas[K]. Plants are subject to sooty bark disease - this is not fatal and occurs most often in years that follow hot summers[11]. There are many named forms that have been selected for their ornamental value[200]. Trees take 25 years to come into bearing from seed[98].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. Seed should not be dried below 35% moisture[98]. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[80, 113]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. Cultivars can be budded onto rootstocks of the species. Any grafting is best carried out in September rather than February.

Cultivars

There are many named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Pioneer Species - Re-establishing Woodland.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[98] Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 0
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Acer pseudoplatanus

Michael Bell Sun Dec 30 2007

I like your spelling of "Clapham TOOTIN and Warburg"

Acer pseudoplatanus

John Haddon Wed Mar 11 2009

This species is a serious environmental weed. If it gets into a native woodland the vigorous seeding and growth out competes the native tree species. Once established the dense shade reduces the cover and biodiversity of the ground layer and by replacing the native trees the biodiversity of the canopy is also reduced. Please don't plant this tree in the UK.

Pioneer Species

Mary Mon Nov 2 2009

Thanks you for mailing on pioneer species.I Will be glad if you e-mail me about Acer pseudoplantanus.

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