A large, spreading tree that grows a fruit similar to a fig.
The tree translated as "sycamore" in 1 Kings 10:27; 1 Chronicles 27:28; 2 Chronicles 1:15; 9:27; Psalm 78:47; Isaiah 9:10; Amos 7:14; and Luke 19:4 definitely refers to the well-known sycamore-fig. This tree is also known as the mulberry-fig or fig-mulberry. It should not be confused with the common sycamore of North America, which is actually a plane tree.
The sycamore-fig of the Bible is a strong-growing, robust, wide-spreading tree growing 9.1 to 12.2 meters (30 to 40 feet) tall. The trunk sometimes grows to 6.1 meters (20 feet) or more around. The top of the tree (the crown) can grow up to 120 feet (36.6 meters) across. It is a tree that people can easily climb and is often planted along roadsides, which explains the reference in Luke 19:4 when Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree.
This tree produces large amounts of fruit in clusters on all parts of the tree, on both young and old branches and even on the trunk itself. The fruit is very similar to the common fig, only smaller and much lower in quality. In David's time, the sycamore-fig was so valuable that he appointed a special overseer for these trees (1 Chronicles 27:28). Scholars think that Amos was not just a gatherer of sycamore fruit but rather someone who took care of sycamore trees.