In the river valleys the trees always get an edge because of the extra moisture that is present, so the woodlands extend out onto the plains in slender fingers of riparian forest. Indeed, the sycamore prefers deep river-bottom soils. Individual trees may live over 500 years. The leaves of the sycamore are very large, just like the tree. They have numerous short hairs on the stem and veins, giving them a fuzzy feel.
Some leaves only have a hint of lobes.
The picture shows the most typical shape. The wood of the sycamore is hard and coarse-grained and often has a flaky appearance, which led to its nickname of lacewood. It gets used in cabinets, furniture, boxes and barrels. The native Americans would use the whole trunk of a tree to make dugout canoes. The fruit of the sycamore is a woody ball that ripens in October and persists through the winter, when it breaks up into many small seeds.