Species of large maple tree native to central Europe and western Asia, but introduced into Britain in the 15th century. On young trees, the bark is smooth and grey but becomes rougher with age and breaks up in scales, exposing the pale-brown-to-pinkish inner bark. It is an important timber and shade tree in Europe, having many ornamental varieties. For other trees sometimes called simply "sycamore," use "Ficus sycamorus" for the sycamore fig and "Platanus occidentalis" for the American sycamore.
