Talk:Platanus occidentalis

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Untitled[edit]

In a previous version, it was said that in the United States, this tree was confusingly referred to as simply "sycamore". There are only three species of native Platanus (see [1]) in the United States, with ranges that do not overlap. Thus in a given area, there is no confusion about what the common name "sycamore" means. Commonly planted non-native Platanus are referred to by other names, such as "London plane tree". Thus I have removed this comment from the page.

Steve Baskauf, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University Dept. of Biological Sciences Steve Baskauf 13:23, 3 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia takes a world view, so the point "in a given area" is inapplicable. See sycamore for reasons why use of that name alone is very confusing: the true sycamore (i.e., the plant originally so named) is Ficus sycomorus. - MPF 15:28, 10 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Weasel words[edit]

Never have I seen "weasel words" so badly in need of editing on Wikipedia. Who ever said that the origin of the name "sycamore" for the American sycamore is because it "looks sick"? Obviously is it actually because of its visual similarity to the Sycamore Maple found in Eurasia Acer pseudoplatanus. And this is so obviously written like weasel words: "It is said that . . ." !!??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.227.207.13 (talk) 04:24, 18 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Source of name "Sycamore"[edit]

The line in the article: "It is said that the sycamore had gotten its name because from its exfoliating bark; it looks 'sick' " is absoltuely wrong.

This tree is called "sycamore" after a near-eastern tree mentioned in the bible. As that biblical species does not occur in northern Europe, the English came to call an entirely unrelated tree, Acer pseudoplatanus the "sycamore maple." On arriving in North America colonists found the American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis similar to the English "sycamore" and so the name stuck. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.160.218.42 (talk) 18:29, 2 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The classification of a sycamore tree.[edit]

What does the scientific name,Platanus occidentalis mean?
72.192.232.249 (talk) 21:08, 21 April 2008 (UTC)Deanna[reply]

Well, I'm pretty sure "occidentalis" means "western", can't remember what "Platanus" is. J.delanoy ^gabs _adds 21:11, 21 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"Platanus" means plane tree, the correct name for the genus. "Sycamore" is a misnomer although very frequently the name in eastern North America. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.160.218.42 (talk) 18:24, 2 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sexes[edit]

There are female and male species of this tree, or at least different parts on the same tree. Can anyone add anything about that to the article? - KitchM (talk) 21:18, 21 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I know, the male and female flowers are on the same tree. The male flowers wither and drop off the tree, and female flowers grow into fruits and remain on the tree until late winter or spring.

There are some American sycamore trees around where I live and, right now in early January, I can see lots of fruits on the leaf-less trees, and at the same time, I also see some soft balls, mostly broken, that are kind of fluffy, underneath the trees. I am wondering if these are the male flowers that have dropped off the trees. --Roland (talk) 16:42, 13 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ghost tree[edit]

The edits by 205.237.30.149 mentioned "ghost tree". I see some websites mention this as an alleged Native American name, but it would be nice to get a high-quality source. — Eru·tuon 20:33, 3 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Apparent dead external link[edit]

The 3rd external link "Forestry.about.com: American sycamore - Platanus occidentalis" appears to be dead. 136.57.196.29 (talk) 05:33, 12 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Fruit pictures needed[edit]

Although photos of the fruit ball are easy to find on the internet, this article doesn't have any. I would suggest having one of the complete fruit ball and stem, and one with some of the "seeds" removed to show the central fibrous network that looks like a geodesic dome. agb 173.233.167.50 (talk) 20:00, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]