Platanus Species, American Sycamore, American Planetree, Buttonball Tree, Buttonwood

On Sep 11, 2019, RandyAllen from White House, TN wrote:

I’ve studied this species since 1960ish, in middle TN. Collected crossections from numerous fallen trees. I have planted many, and kept growth records. I’ve never found a giant sycamore over 80 years old, proven by growth rings. The Tennessee largest record holder in Shelby Park in the mid-1990’s was only 35 years old (you can read my story about it on my website). I have recorded growth rates of 8 feet in early years, but 3 to 5 feet is more common it’s first 20 years. My current sycamore is 15 years old, 65 feet tall, 20 inches dbh, and has never been watered or pampered in any way. I could share so much, but not enough space here. smile. I posted two pix of my most recent sycamore. Randy Allen of http:/... read more/www.WhiteHouseArboretum.com .

On Oct 24, 2017, Timberplot from Blairsville, PA wrote:

The Sycamore tree is a fast growing, large tree here in the east. The tree is not recommended for planting near sidewalks, driveways or smaller yards. Give this tree a lot of room in more open areas as it does really well along streams and wetland sites. What I really like about this tree is it's ability to develop cavities and still maintain it's strength. In my area, the Sycamore and the Catalpa trees provide cavities for many animal and bird species to den in and take refuge while at the same time remaining structurally sound for years in a hollowed condition. I have walked into Sycamore cavities at ground level and was able to look up into the hollowed tree for 20 feet or more. In the last few years, a lot of volunteer seedlings have been sprouting around my farm. I have relocated seve... read moreral where they will grow best without causing problems. For those wanting an "insta-tree", this one will grow about as fast as it gets if planted on a suitable site.

On Sep 28, 2015, suwannee from Lake City, FL (Zone 8b) wrote:

The previous owner of my house must have loved sycamores as there were five in the yard. One didn't thrive for unknown reasons and I cut it down.

They produce a dense shade that is welcome in Florida. Then they loose all of their leaves in winter allowing welcome sun. I use the leaves for garden paths and eventually in the garden beds.

If you are thinking of planting a sycamore you need to consider their mature size. The canopy of one tree can be 50 feet wide. I don't care for branches hanging over my house. I may end up cutting two of the trees for that reason.

On Sep 28, 2015, Captleemo from Angleton, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

I bought a house in 1998 that didn't have any trees. I tried planting a couple of oak trees but they died. My girlfriend gave me a small seedling from one of her Sycamores and I planted it but thought it would go the way of the oak trees. Boy was I wrong! It took to the soil like me to a hot pancake. About a year later she gave me another one that I planted in the back yard and now I have two beautiful trees that completely changed the look of my property for the better. I planted them around 2003 and 2005 and they both are over 25 feet tall. They are the bain of the neighborhood though in the fall when the enormous leaves start to fall. You can expect 5 to 7 feet of growth per year at least that's how fast mine have grown here south of Houston TX. I really like mine.

On May 11, 2014, villandra from Austin, TX wrote:

If sycamore trees are self pruning and always drop branches before they can die and then the dead branches just sit there, I'd suggest collecting seeds from the one at Georgian and Fawnridge in North Austin. 9103 Fawnridge comes up when you click on the house in Google Maps. In street view the tree comes up. Now Google must have visited in fall, because at the moment the tree has healthy bright green leaves on all the living branches.

When I first saw it I didn't know what kind of tree it was, and thought that the fact that something clearly ate most of its bark accounted for the extensive dead branches. (The bark normally looks like that.)

This is the first time in my life I have ever seen a Sycamore tree, and I don't see what the issue is with their l... read moreeaves. I wondered it it were a kind of maple tree, because only the lack of lobes differentiates the leaves from what maple leaves look like. Now, from the Google Earth photo, clearly the leaves aren't as pretty as a maple's in the fall, but they aren't bigger. I've yet to see leaves that don't have to all be swept up and bagged the day after Christmas - or the following summer. I suppose if one is used to Mountain Cedar and Live Oak one might growse at sycamore.

This tree must have lost the gene for self-pruning.

I suggest that for trees that drop branches, keeping it pruned is likely to help. That is a chore to be sure, but I don't know anyone who has trees in Austin who doesn't periodically have to trim them away from the house and hte power lines.

I am wondering if they're a smart tree to have any place inclined to wind storms, just like hackberry trees, which tend to get so big and then blow right over.

Now, for an UGLY tree, try pecan. Highly allergenic, long stringy droppy leaves, and the trees themselves have no shape. DEFINITELY an ugly, useless tree.

On Nov 18, 2011, victorengel from Austin, TX wrote:

Contrary to the previous comment about branches, although I don't typically see dead branches on trees, I've seen way too many incidents of living branches breaking off trees. These are sometimes very large and potentially very damaging when they fall. This seems to be an issue here in Austin at least, more than any other tree I've seen. Other trees will drop dead branches. This one drops live branches. Yikes.

On Sep 16, 2010, ktdid2840 from Glenview, IL wrote:

Zone 5 encourages late leaf-out for the Sycamore. It is the perfect tree to under plant with early spring bulbs and plants. The red peonies passed down to me from my mother have thrived under the sycamore tree for twenty years even though they are in deep shade for most of the summer! The red tulips nestled among the hosta, forsythia and kerria are also gorgeous in the spring under the tree. Closer to the drip line I planted a rhododendron five years ago. It gets bigger and more beautiful each year. This tree is a beauty and worth the trouble of picking up a few twigs!

On Sep 14, 2010, Clary from Lewisburg, PA (Zone 6b) wrote:

There are many sycamores in the Pennsylvania river valley where I live. The best planted specimens are in large open spaces such as cemeteries and campuses.

These grow naturally in corridors along the river and along highways but rarely seem to be healthy and able to obtain their natural form. Perhaps the tree's native habitat is frequently adapted to farmland and housing.

There are a few of these planted in the downtowns here and they seem to be a poor choice. They are out of scale (too large) for the narrow streetscapes of our region where trees are usually planted within 6-12 feet of the houses. The roots frequently damage the sidewalks. They drop quite a bit of bark and their seed balls are messy as well. The leaves blow around due to their large size an... read mored do not pile up nicely for collection. This "behavior" can be difficult to manage in an urban setting.

Rarely do I see a sycamore planted at newer homes where space is available; shrubby plants and smaller trees seem to be preferred.

This is one of my favorite trees due to its noble appearance and one of the most beautiful native trees of North America.

Siting the tree seems to be crucial, but if the site is right, no maple, oak or pine tree can compete with the majesty of a sycamore.

On Sep 13, 2010, katpages from Thornton, PA wrote:

We have 3 beautiful Sycamores along the front of our cottage that are about 90 years old. From personal experience, I would NEVER intentinally plant them, but they are ours, so we enjoy their beauty and make the best of them...the twigs and branches that fall frequently make great kindling...I have also bulit an attractive stick wall curving around my large bed of vinca surrounding one of them. We gather their bark and use it for pathways and mulch. Like someone mentioned, they are the last trees to get their leaves in the Spring and the first ones to lose them in the fall. Some of them are as big as as a foot across. The balls make a dirty and irritating dust. We are constantly cleaning off our car. These trees are for large properties away from garden beds. If it weren't for their beauty... read more, I would give them a "Negative".

On Sep 13, 2010, alzone7 from Gadsden, AL wrote:

This is a beautiful tree -- way down at the edge of some woods, but NOT in a yard. All summer and fall it drops lots of big curly leaves that blow into the neighbor's yards and just lie there for weeks if no one cleans them up. It's also very weak wood because of the rapid growth, and big limbs will break off, not to mention lots of sticks that fall all the time. A local nursery owner talked us into planting one in our front yard years ago and I still haven't forgiven him. ;-) After years of cleaning up the mess from our yard and the neighbors', we finally shelled out the money to have it cut down and planted a nice willow oak that has served us much better.

On Sep 13, 2010, localyokel from Belleview, FL wrote:

Growing up we had a sycamore in the front yard in NE Ohio and now living in central Florida I have a very very tall one in my side yard. I knew going in that it was considered a messy tree. Yes, it sheds bark and yes, it drops a lot of leaves...But - during the summer it's tall large canopy of leaves keeps the house and porch lovely and cool. It makes it all worthwhile!

On Feb 29, 2008, mrs_colla from Marin, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:

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.

On May 28, 2006, Idiopath from Austin, TX wrote:

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.

On Aug 5, 2005, rochha from Owings, MD wrote:

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.

On Jan 22, 2005, kayaker from Milton, VT (Zone 4a) wrote:

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!

On May 30, 2004, rjyellow from Circle Pines, MN wrote:

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.

On Feb 8, 2004, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:

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.

On Feb 8, 2004, htop from San Antonio, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

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.
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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.

On Sep 2, 2001, mystic from Ewing, KY (Zone 6a) wrote:

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.