Historical Name: Lafayette
Common Name: Sycamore
Latin Name: Platanus occidentalis
The 111-foot Lafayette Sycamore towers over the Brandywine Battlefield Park in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The tree’s limbs stretch out 60 feet from its massive trunk, which measures 220 inches in circumference. The tree was already 168 years old when it sheltered troops led by Generals Washington and Lafayette in the battle of Brandywine in 1777. The imposing Sycamore is named for the dashing young Frenchman, the Marquis de Lafayette, who lay against its rough bark while his wounded leg was dressed. This tree grew from a seed taken from the Lafayette Sycamore, and was planted into UCNJ’s Historic Tree Grove in 1997.
(text adapted from American Forests)