 Acer pseudoplatanus , known as the sycamore in the United Kingdom and the sycamore maple in the United States , is a flowering plant species in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae . It is a large deciduous , broad @-@ leaved tree , tolerant of wind and coastal exposure . It is native to Central Europe and Western Asia , from France eastwards to Ukraine , northern Turkey and the Caucasus and southwards in the mountains of northern Spain and Italy . 
