PlantFiles: Sycamore, Buttonwood, American Sycamore, American Planetree
Platanus occidentalis

Where we live this tree drops huge leaves all year round, except in winter when it is bare. It never looks fresh and healthy.
Ugly leaves get everywhere and are hard to pick up and they take for ever to decompose when left in a flowerbed.
I don't have this tree but my neighbour does.

I didn't know that American Sycamore were hardy to zone 4 at all - every book say it is zone 5 even though a few hints at they were once native to far southeast part of Minnesota until my Woody Landscape Class and my teacher took the class to a house near the St. Paul Campus and there was one huge tree growing just fine and my jaw dropped. They are very commonly planted in zone 5 and 6.

The house I bought last year came with a large sycamore in the front yard, likely 50+ years old. It's a great shade tree, and I'm sure it helps to keep my house and yard a bit cooler, but it's been shedding sheets of bark all over the place.

I tried planting two Sycamores with no success. Each summer they became infected with Powdery Mildew. While not a fatal fungus infection, it sure made the leaves look awful. I finally got tired of wasting money on fungicides and I removed them from the landscape.

This tree does have a sweet smelling scent especially on hot sunny humid days, smells sort of like sweet human sweat. I only noticed it when I started to grow some seedlings, Then I smelled their leaves and noticed it, It is not a strong smell but it is there, if you are near a Sycamore see if you can smell it. get downwind of the tree. Also it's seedlings leaves do not have that classic Maple leaf shape, I noticed I have never seen a Sycamore tree smaller than 5 feet, so I grew some seedlings to see why, it's cause they look totally different than the adult. Their are more fan shaped.

These are very large stately trees. Because of their extensive root system, they are very windfirm. However it's a shame they have a problem with anthracnose. It kills off new growth in the spring which creates a "witch's broom" of new growth afterwards and makes the tree look sort of deformed.

A bit of caution to those who wish to collect seeds from the seed balls:

The tiny hairs on the fruit clusters can irritate the skin and, if inhaled, the respiratory passage. The chaff and dust generated during processing of fruits to extract the seeds is dangerous, and people who do this must wear protective masks. Sometimes the growing roots can clog sewers and damage sidewalks, and fallen leaves can clog drains. American sycamore is a fast growing tree. Don't plant it too close to buildings and utility lines!

The mighty sycamore as I call it, is a FL native to mostly the upper left hand side of the state but they are growing successfully much farther south. I have seen them as far as palm beach county and I have seen them growing in what looks like pure sand along the river in brevard county. Older sycamores have been found with hollow trunks. (think Winnie The Pooh's home) If you're looking for fast shade, plant a mighty sycamore. Although they have a reputation for not being such great trees in storms, all the sycamores in my area survived the recent hurricanes with flying colors.

I have found almost 300 sycamores growing in the St. Paul / Minneapolis Minnesota area. The winter hardiness of sycamores in this area of the country is questionable. Yet, a large portion of these 300 trees, have to be 40 to 50 years old. I have tried over and over to find these trees in the area nurseries for purchase, but with no luck. I can only wonder where these sycamores came from that are now growing so magnificently in Minnesota.

These trees can grow to great size in my area. most are found in the wild along creek and river banks. Most folk hesitate to plant them in their yards because of the large leaves, seed balls and shedding bark that has to be cleaned up.

They are hardy and quite beautiful and stand out in a landscape.

I saw American Sycamores in Caxambu, a rather cold town north of here, planted along the margins of a river in the city park. These were planted in the middle of 19th century, and didn´t grow very much since then. The white trunk and foliage were gorgeous.

I don´t know, but when I walked near those trees I sensed a sweet scent. I don´t know if it came from the trees, or the water.. I don´t know.

This tree is sometimes used along streets because of its ability to withstand, and even thrive in, harsh environments. The only drawback I see is the huge number of large leaves it drops in the Fall. I don't mind the clean up, but others do. The one on my block is in front of my neighbor's house and it takes the two of us to keep up with the leaves. Small branches and twigs are brittle and fall ofen in even moderate winds.

San Antonio, Tx.)
The American sycamore is sometimes confused with the several other trees in the same genus which are similar in appearance. If the tree has single seedpods, it is an American sycamore. If there are two seedpods together, it is a London planetree (Platanus X acerfolia). If there are 3-5 seedpods, it is an Oriental planetree (P. orientalis) which has the seedpods hanging like beads. All three have lobed maple-like leaves, but each is slightly different. American sycamore's leaf lobes are wider than long. London planetree's leaf lobes are about as wide as they are long. Oriental planetree's leaf lobes that are much longer than wide and deeply incised. London planetree is a hybrid between the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and the oriental planetree.

Each has thin bark that flakes which gives the trunks a mottled appearance with irregular brown, gray, white and green patches. The trunk at the bottom can look differently than the where the bark is mottled especially if the trunk is old. When the leaves drop in fall and winter, the exposed bark and the seedpods add interest to the landscape.

My tree was planted on an incline with very little soil and solid limestone beneath it. It grew rapidly into a beautiful shade tree. Obviously, it received enough water from the frequent lawn watering. During a severe drought and a temperature near 112 degrees, it did experience leaf drop.

Be careful where these trees are planted. The growing roots can clog sewers and damage sidewalks and driveways. The fallen leaves can clog drains. Also, be careful not to plant these fast growing trees too close to buildings and utility lines.

One tree I planted in Kingsville, Ontario in a low lying area with sandy loam soil grew 30' in 5 years. However on dry sites with heavy turf competition, it can also grow slowly. Do not use this tree on dry sites unless your don't mind summer leaf drop. Trees in the long gone old growth forest grew 170' tall, up to 15' in diameter, and lived 500 years.

This fast growing,deciduous tree can reach the height 80 feet and 60 feet wide under urban conditions,but much larger in the wild.The flowers are monoecious,with separate male and female flowers that are deep red and bloom in late March.The fruit is rounded,fuzzy looking, tannish brown and are 1 inch in diameter.The trunk and upper branches are impressively mottled where thin,irregular patches of brown bark that falls away to reveal the white inner bark.Prefers moist,deep,rich soils in full sun,but is very adaptable to a wide variety of soils,including dry soils,wet soils, compacted soils,poor soils.This makes an excellent shade tree in a large area,as a child I spent many an afternoon playing in the shade of the one we had.