1. A large North American tree (Platanus occidentalis) with broad leaves and round, spiky seed balls; the American sycamore.
Usage: Also called buttonwood or plane tree.; Named for its distinctive round, button-like fruit clusters.

Examples

• The buttonball tree grows along riverbanks throughout the eastern United States.
• Pioneers used buttonball wood for furniture and construction.
• The buttonball's spiky seed balls hang from branches like ornaments.
• You can identify a buttonball tree by its peeling, mottled bark.
• The buttonball is one of the largest hardwood trees in North America.