The sycamore* and maple will
Appear a lot alike until
One takes a closer look and sees
They're really very different trees.
The leaves of both are much the same
But leaves are only half the game.
Examining those trees soon leads
To careful scrutiny of seeds.
And when you look at seeds you’ll note
The sycamore’s are balls that float,
While maple seeds have wings and they're
Dispersed by twirling through the air.
Then if the choice were up to me
Which kind of seed pod would I be?
Fly through the air or simply float
Downstream, a spiky little boat,
Until I come to rest at last
And after some few days have passed
Send roots into the forest floor
And grow into a sycamore
Or maple, as the case may be.
But either way I’d be a tree.
*The American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
or Old World sycamore (Platanus orientalis), not
the European sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
which is a variety of maple.
