The name English Sycamore became attached to this species, first in the UK and Europe, then in the US to differentiate it from our own Sycamore, which…..they call Platano.

English Sycamore is actually European Maple:  Acer = Maple and pseudoplatanus = false sycamore. 

The wood is lighter in color than our domestic maple and does not have sugar, the little brown streaks we see in our maple from time to time.  Some logs develop different figure types, which typically appear as more of a “fiddleback” figure, but can also be a little ropey and mottled at times.  I just depends on the log.

Logs are both flat sliced and quarter sliced, depending on the circumference of the log, and typically yield very nice, sequential runs of veneer.

Shown here – Quartered English Sycamore with a medium heavy fiddleback figure.