BY RAY HANKAMER
rhankamer@gmail.com

For years the oak tree, so prevalent around Rice University and the Museum District, has been the signature tree of Houston.

But the beautiful ‘tree tunnels’ in the Montrose, West University, and Museum District don’t come without problems, as voraciously thirsty iron-hard oak roots heave up sidewalks all over town.

The sycamore, a native Houston tree, is much faster-growing than the oak, providing shade in the summer, and letting the warming sun penetrate its bare branches in winter time.

The first cousin of the sycamore, the plane tree, lines many of the grand boulevards of Europe, and other streets as well. Plane trees line country roads all over France and have for centuries.

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