Sycamore, DYK Fact #628

This morning I read about actinodromous in The Penguin Dictionary of Botany. The term describes a form of leaf venation in which three or more primary veins originate at the base of the lamina and run out towards the margin. In traditional terminology such venation is termed palmate or digitate. Did you know? The leaves of the Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) are an example.

There are some sycamore trees at the back of the building where I work. I plucked a leaf from one of them and took pictures of it to illustrate its venation on both surfaces.

The picture on the left is the upper surface and the one on the right is the lower surface. They were taken with the webcam of my Samsung netbook, the snapshots being edited into a single image on Microsoft Paint.

Did you know? The genus to which the sycamore belongs is the maple, which I have just read about in the glossary at the end of Chapter 5, “World of plants”, under the section LIVING THINGS in Volume 1, “The world of nature”, of the Reader’s Digest Library of Modern Knowledge.

Did you know? The sycamore was probably introduced into Britain in the 17th century; the species has now become an established part of the British countryside.

Did you know? In the time of king Solomon of Israel, sycamore trees grew in abundance in the plains of Jericho (2 Chronicles 9:27).

Did you know? When Jesus came to Jericho, and Zacchaeus wanted to see him but could not because there was a crowd and he was too short, he solved the problem by climbing up a sycamore tree and obtaining a view of Jesus on a branch high above the heads of the people in the crowd (Luke 19:4).

Isn't that the leaf on the flag of Canada?

No, the leaf on the Canadian flag is that of the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), a different species.

Goodness! How do you guys tell all these different types of trees apart? I can just about recognise an oak tree when I see one!

Psalm 78:47

Isaiah 9:10

Amos 7:14