A Tree That's (Been) Out of This World
Do you know this tree outside the PP1 classroom?
Did you know that it has traveled with NASA to outer space?
With mottled bark of white, grey, pink, and light green patches it is one of the easiest trees to identify in our area. The Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, is found growing along the banks of the Little Miami River, O’Bannon Creek, and other streams and wet habitats. It can grow to a height of almost 100 feet making it one of the largest broadleaf trees native to Ohio and can live almost 300 years. Often the base of the older Sycamores hollow out and there are recorded stories of these large trees becoming shelter for early settlers of the area until they could put up more permanent homes. As a child, there was a majestic giant specimen growing behind our family property on the banks of Sycamore Creek. My 4 siblings and I used this tree to spread out in and camp overnight saving us from lugging the big old family tent on our adventures.
With its single massive trunk and wide spreading crown, the Sycamore behind PP1 is a sight to behold in any season. This particular tree actually germinated in space! In the 1990s, it was part of a NASA experiment to study the effects of seed germination and space travel. A CMH family had access to some of these special plants and donated the tree to our school, making it a very special tree indeed!
Veronica Brannen
November 2019
