The sycamore maple grows mainly in mountainous regions. In the Harz and Ore Mountains, it can be found up to about 900 meters in elevation, and in the Alps even up to about 2,000 meters. So the fact that there’s a sycamore maple here in Lankow is something very special! Its bark is scaly and often covered with mosses and lichens. This sometimes makes the trunk look a bit shaggy. In some areas, the tree is therefore also called Rübezahl.

The leaves of the sycamore maple are shaped like a hand—take a look! They differ from other maple species: their tips are rather blunt, and the leaves are larger than those of the field maple.

The maple’s fruits are particularly striking. They have a wing. When they fall from the tree, they begin to spin in the wind. This allows them to be carried up to 125 meters away from the parent tree. Some children even stick these fruits on their noses. Maybe you do too?

The sycamore maple provides a habitat for many living creatures: birds, insects, fungi, and mistletoe all benefit from the tree. Some butterflies are even named after it, such as the maple moth. Animals like squirrels, mice, and hawfinches eat its nuts.

The wood of the sycamore maple is very popular with foresters. It is hard but easy to work with. Among other things, it is used to make musical instruments, such as guitars or pan flutes.
In ancient beliefs, the maple was considered a tree that brings harmony and peace and can even drive away witches and evil spirits.

Key Facts About the Sycamore Maple

This tree was measured in 2025. It was about 8 meters tall and had a trunk circumference of 31 centimeters. Its wood stores approximately 218 kilograms of carbon. Each year, it absorbs about 19 kilograms of CO₂, which is roughly equivalent to the emissions from a 174-kilometer car trip. It also retains around 400 liters of rainwater and filters about 369 grams of particulate matter from the air. In doing so, it produces approximately 51 kilograms of oxygen annually—enough to meet an adult’s breathing needs for about 83 days.