Buttonwood

Many of my recent specimens have been difficult for this wannabe dendrologist to identify. So much so, in fact, that a few must be tabled for now, but not so for my old friend the Buttonwood.

American Sycamore, Planatus occidentalis, is a rather sparse tree around the lake. It's also probably the easiest to spot with its distinctive bark. It commonly grows as a clump and that's just what we see here.

Come summer, we'll get to see leaves that look similar to maple, but wider and much larger.

These tress have rather interesting fruit balls that don't appear in any of these pictures. Once the snow clears, I'll check for some beneath.

This specie was first identified to me many years ago. My groundskeeper boss and the local town tree warden, Bucky, matter of factly pointed out, "Johnny, this is Buttonwood. You won't see these very often." That's why I'll always use the alternate common name Buttonwood.