Vigorous European maple with five-lobed leaves and pale, hard, fine-grained timber prized for joinery, kitchen utensils, dance floors, and violin backs. Tolerates exposure, salt wind, and pollution exceptionally well.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 4–7 | −34.4 °C to −12.2 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H7 | down to −20 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 4–7 | −29 °C to −7 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 1–5 | −15 °C to 10 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Pale fine-grained timber — the classic European hardwood for kitchen tools (cutting boards, butcher blocks), dance floors, and violin backs (figured sycamore is the standard back-and-side stock of European violins)
- WARNING: Listed INVASIVE in parts of the United States, eastern Canada, and Australia — heavy self-seeding crowds out native woodland flora, do not plant outside its native European range without checking local regulations
- Excellent coastal and upland windbreak — handles salt wind and exposure better than most large trees
- Long established in Britain (since at least Roman times) — sometimes treated as a native, but botanically a Continental European species
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Sycamore maple against your zones