What kind of tree? picture of leaf, bark, and cross section

[Stephen Blalock]

Location Northern California. Thanks for taking the time to look.

 

[Brian Gustin]

makes me think Sycamore at first glance? not sure why.. but then You're left coast , likely not a tree we'd see here in the P.A. boondocks.

 

[John Dillon]

I agree w/Brian. Have also seen mention of a "Western Sycamore". I Googled it and it's referenced.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Bark just screams Sycamore but seeing the leaf so I looked up John's comment and yes. Western Sycamore mainly in California .

 

[hockenbery]

My first thought was sycamore but the leaf is off.

I used the google app on your leaf photo. Adjusted the lens to the leaf edges.
Google matched it to Platanus wrightii - Arizona sycamore
And western sycamore It also put up maple and sweet gum which the human eye can eliminate.
A search on western sycamore pulls up photos of matching leaves.

 

[hockenbery]

Did another search cropped a bit tighter
Google picks western sycamore first

 

[Lou Jacobs]

A sometimes useful nugget which I learned when studying dendrology: deciduous trees with opposite buds can be narrowed down using MADCapHorse - Maples, Ashes, Dogwoods, any in the Caprifoliaceae family and Horsechestnut. All others have alternate buds. Caveat: this applies on the east coast, and there are a few exceptions for some shrubs but at least it is a good mnemonic to keep in mind.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

I rely on a really simple phone app: Picture This. It's free, easy, and accurate.

 

[Dave Fritz]

I rely on a really simple phone app: Picture This. It's free, easy, and accurate.

I was going to suggest this as well Tom. It's an amazing app. Sometimes when we're out of cell service range we take the picture on our phone, then import it into the app when we get home to WIFI. You can save identifications to your library also. Well worth the investment IMO.

 

[robo hippy]

My first thought was sweet gum, but like others said, cross section and bark say sycamore, of some sort. There is one in the parking lot of a near by store where the total bottom is a big lump of burl. It stumped me because the leaves looked like this. May have to bug my local arborist about it. I never knew there were so many different types of sycamore.

robo hippy

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

I rely on a really simple phone app: Picture This. It's free, easy, and accurate.

Not free but I hear it is good.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

Ahh, could be I upgraded.

 

[John Hicks]

Picture this identifying app says its a California sycamore