Sycamore Maple

"Maple for the sledges"... A mysterious folk expression from Savoie!

This tree can be recognised by its finely carved 5-lobed leaves and its fruit, called the samaras. Their forward-curved winglets make them fall like a tiny helicopter, allowing them to disperse over a large area!

The trees, with their trunks growing in the shape of a crook, i.e. arched under the weight of the snow, were used to make "lugeons", the kind of sledges that were once used to transport hay in the mountains...