An absolutely Huge 9" Maple Leaf in perfect condition...

roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It dropped / landed in a small Cedar tree...perfect setting for a photo

NOTE: After Hal raised the point it may actually be a Sycamore leaf, I did a lot of digging and finally found a site that had a very similar photo, and its labeled 'Sycamore Leaf'...link below:
http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-one-sycamore-leaf-image7012048

( PS: If a moderator sees this and wouldn't mind changing the title from Maple to Sycamore, that would be great )



 
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roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I struggled with that myself...kept flipping back & forth between Maple and Sycamore in Google Images, comparing it to the photo.
Compared things like #lobes, #veins, #points, etc...but was never able to definitively convince myself one way or the other...so I went with Maple. Whichever it is, it's a beauty
 
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Songdoghunter

Twelve Pointer
I struggled with that myself...kept flipping back & forth between Maple and Sycamore in Google Images, comparing it to the photo.
Compared things like #lobes, #veins, #points, etc...but was never able to definitively convince myself one way or the other...so I went with Maple. Whichever it is, it's a beauty

I think it is a Sugar Maple Roundball. The Sycamore leaves should have been long gone in early November being one of the first to fall. Great picture in any case!
 

GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
Great picture rb. There's a great app called leafsnap that allows you to take a picture of a leaf and identify the species. Thanks for sharing.
 

Jack's PA

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
First thing I thought when I saw the picture was that is not a Maple. It is a Sycamore. We had a Sycamore tree in the yard I grew up in. Will never forget those huge leaves!
 

roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Yes, and after more digging on the Internet last night, bouncing around between the two on Google Images, going to associated sites...seeing comments about the huge sizes...that Sycamore leaves can get so much larger than Maple leaves...is finally what tipped the scales.
Otherwise there sure are a lot of similarities...there's even a particular strain called a "Sycamore Maple" because of the leaf it produces
 

roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Great picture rb. There's a great app called leafsnap that allows you to take a picture of a leaf and identify the species. Thanks for sharing.

The “Leafsnap” site looks to be of a very high quality…and I assume the database will continue to grow, but it’s already got a good set of foliage with excellent color photos of the various stages of growth associated with each type.

Thought it was interesting that the very version of the Sycamore shown in ”Leafsnap” is the one called the “Sycamore Maple”…and NC is listed as one of the states it’s common to...yet the text refers to it as from the Maple family.

Click the link then wait and watch as it steps through all the items associated with that particular tree.
http://leafsnap.com/species/Acer pseudoplatanus/


 
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Songdoghunter

Twelve Pointer
The dead giveaway here would be the tree bark. Sycamores and Maples aren't even close there. The Sycamore would have the rough peeling bark like a River Birch while the Maple would be much smoother.

Sycamore Bark

130839560.jpg


Maple Bark

images.jpg
 
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