Buttonball Tree facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buttonball Tree
Buttonball Sycamore with an admirer in March 2019.
Species	American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Location	North Main St., Sunderland, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°28′07.83″N 72°34′42.14″W / 42.4688417°N 72.5783722°W / 42.4688417; -72.5783722
Date seeded	before 1665
Custodian	Tree Care Industry Association International Society of Arboriculture

The Buttonball Tree is a super old and incredibly large American sycamore tree. You can find it in Sunderland, Massachusetts. It's famous because of its huge size and how long it has been around.

People often call sycamore trees "buttonball" trees because their fruits look like little buttons. But this particular tree is so special that it kept the name all to itself! It's like a living piece of history from Sunderland's old forests.

In 2019, this amazing tree was over 113 feet tall! That's taller than a 10-story building. Its trunk was about 25 feet around, which means it would take many kids holding hands to hug it. Its branches spread out about 140 feet wide, creating a huge shady area.

Long ago, in the 1600s and 1700s, people sometimes planted sycamore trees near new homes. They were called "bride and groom" trees because sycamores live for a very long time. The Buttonball Tree is believed to be over 350 years old, and some even think it's closer to 400! It's a popular spot for visitors in Sunderland.

Many people believe this tree is the biggest of its kind on the East Coast of the United States. Locals even joke that it's "The widest tree this side of the Mississippi River!"

Plaque Honoring the Tree

There's a special stone plaque placed in front of the Buttonball Tree. It was added in 1987. This plaque helps everyone remember two important things. It celebrates the 200th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. It also honors the tree's incredible age.

Plaque in front of the Buttonball Tree

The plaque says:

1787 THE NATIONAL 1987 ARBORIST ASSOCIATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE JOINTLY RECOGNIZE THIS SIGNIFICANT TREE IN THIS BICENTENNIAL YEAR AS HAVING LIVED HERE AT THE TIME OF THE SIGNING OF OUR CONSTITUTION

This means that two important tree care groups, the National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture, recognized the Buttonball Tree. They wanted to show that this tree was already alive and growing when the U.S. Constitution was signed way back in 1787!

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