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American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

Summary 6

Platanus occidentalis, also known as American sycamore, American planetree, occidental plane, and buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America. It is usually called sycamore in North America, a name which can refer to other types of trees in other parts of the world. The American sycamore is a long-lived species, typically surviving at least 200 years and likely as long as 500–600 years

Platanus occidentalis can often be easily distinguished from other trees by its mottled bark which flakes off in large irregular masses, leaving the surface mottled and gray, greenish-white and brown. The bark of all trees has to yield to a growing trunk by stretching, splitting, or infilling, but sycamore bark is more rigid and less elastic than the bark of other trees, so to accommodate the growth of the wood underneath, the tree sheds it in large, brittle pieces.

A sycamore can grow to massive proportions, typically reaching up to 98 to 131 ft high and 4.9 to 6.6 ft in diameter when grown in deep soils. The largest of the species have been measured to 174 ft, and nearly 13 ft in diameter. Larger specimens were recorded in historical times. As one of the largest trees in the wet bottomland habitats where it dominates, it is a key component of the structure of those habitats. The heartwood of a sycamore tree decays quickly, producing large hollow cavities in the center of the trees which are used by many animals as nesting sites. The largest hollow trees can be big enough for black bear dens, but average trees create homes for bats and cavity-nesting birds like wood ducks, barred owls, screech owls, chimney swift, and great-crested flycatcher.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) hgarris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by hgarris
  2. (c) John Lillis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/25080113@N06/3865526415/
  3. (c) Janet Gingold, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Janet Gingold
  4. (c) Mitch, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mitch
  5. (c) isteve, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by isteve
  6. Adapted by Tom Pollard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis

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