Q: We are curious to know the identity of a tree we saw in a park, surviving the Southwest climate that has leaves that look like a maple and a round spiky seed pod. Can you tell us?

Acer pseudoplatanus, also known as the sycamore maple or plain sycamore in the UK, is a tree that’s often known more for its negative qualities than its positive – large, fast growing and prone to ...

Leaves – deciduous, simple, 3-5 shallow lobes, sinuses and margins are serrated, petioles are enlarged at base to enclose bud, stipules are leaflike. Twigs – leaf scar surrounds bud, stipule scar ...

Q: We bought a sycamore tree from a local nursery 30 months ago. The first summer it started out healthy, but it soon began to develop brown edges on the leaves. The leaves eventually fell prematurely ...

A sycamore is a grand, stately native tree with attractive, peeling white-and-gray bark and broad, shady leaves. Sadly, sycamores are sometimes affected by a disfiguring fungal disease called ...

Fall is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm, so roots will have time to establish themselves long before the punishing heat of next summer arrives. If you are thinking ...

Gardeners often think unfondly of sycamores. These are big, resilient, untidy trees, relatively recent arrivals, and of careless habits. Their winged seeds, and the tough little seedlings that sprout ...