[Hilary]

Autumn colour in Sparta
An unknown tree in one of the squares.
I have looked at it in all seasons.
Never seen a flower or a seed pod

[John]

I would say it is Morus alba. Very similar to the M. niger I posted?

[MikeHardman]

I agree - Morus alba. In urban (or village cafe/restaurant) settings, non-flowering cultivars are commonly used - hence you not noticing flowers or fruit.

[Hilary]

Tree in Sparta square
Just found a photo of the leaves which I took a couple of years ago

[MikeHardman]

Well if that's the same tree, Houston we have a problem...
...because those leaves are alternate and Morus' are opposite.
The other tree that comes to mind with variably-lobed leaves (there are hints in both photos) is Sassafras albidum, but that has alternate arrangement of leaves also.
Hmmm.

[John]

Without lots of thought! Paulownia?

[Hilary]

Well you are right  the photo of the leaves are not from the  the same actual tree as the photo I posted of the one in autumn colour.
There are four or five of these trees in this square.
Here are photos of the lower leaves of the second tree and a photo of part of its trunk

[John]

Had a rethink. Broussonetia papyrifera.

[Hilary]

Well  that is interesting.
As I say i have never seen a flower but then maybe I didn't look hard enough.
Does this tree exist in Greece?
I think Fleur has access to some book which lists all the trees in Greece.

[John]

I'm not saying I'm right but that's what came into my head and the leaf looks right!

[MikeHardman]

I agree, John - the foliage does look right for Broussonetia papyrifera (paper mulberry), though some more-scalloped leaves would help conviction of opinion.
But the flowers and fruit would be hard to miss - http://www.exotic-plants.de/seeds/trees/Broussonetia-papyrifera-paper-mulberry.php. That's the female. But the male flowers would still be fairly obvious, though you'd have to be there are the right time of year; that's probably it - a male tree which you have not seen during the short time it has flowers.

[Fleur Pavlidis]

Yes, it appears in Arampatzis' book. He says it'll grow in poor, infertile, stony ground and stands cold and pollution. It self-seeds. It's called papyrifera because the Japanese use(d) the bark in high quality paper.

[Hilary]

Thank you all for your efforts in identifying this tree

[ezeiza]

Here with more rainfall than in a Mediterranean area it is a fast, pest and disease free tree. The problem is that the undesirable habit of root suckering like mad makes itself a pest. We keep on digging many suckers along the year and yet can not exterminate it. It was a great mistake to plant it although it is quite ornnamental, particularly the bark.

[Hilary]

Two weeks later I went to see if I could take more photos of the leaves.
Not a leaf in sight , the tree had been pruned drastically.
Will look again in the spring