American Sycamore (Murfreesboro Indigenous Plant Project (MIPP) Guide)

American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

Summary ⁹

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 tree in other parts of the world. The name is derived from the Greek word πλάτανος (platanos), meaning flat, and the Latin word occidentalis meaning "of the west", and "sycamore" is deriv

Description ⁹

An American sycamore tree 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. The sycamore shows the process more openly than many other trees. The explanation is found in the rigid texture of the bark tissue which lacks the elasticity of the bark of some other trees, so it is incapable of stretching to accommodate the growth of the wood underneath, so the tree sloughs it off.

A sycamore can grow to massive proportions, typically reaching up to 30 to 40 m (98 to 131 ft) high and 1.5 to 2 m (4.9 to 6.6 ft) in diameter when grown in deep soils. The largest of the species have been measured to 53 m (174 ft), and nearly 4 m (13 ft) in diameter. Larger specimens were recorded in historical times. In 1744, a Shenandoah Valley settler named Joseph Hampton and two sons lived for most of the year in a hollow sycamore in what is now Clarke County, Virginia. In 1770, at Point Pleasant, Virginia (now in West Virginia) near the junction of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, George Washington recorded in his journal a sycamore measuring 13.67 m (44 ft 10 in) in circumference at 91 cm (3 ft) from the ground.

The sycamore tree is often divided near the ground into several secondary trunks, very free from branches. Spreading limbs at the top make an irregular, open head. Roots are fibrous. The trunks of large trees are often hollow.

Distribution and Habitat ⁹

In its native range, it is often found in riparian and wetland areas. The range extends from Iowa to Ontario and New Hampshire in the north, Nebraska in the west, and south to Texas and Florida. It is apparently extirpated from Maine. Closely related species (see Platanus) occur in Mexico and the southwestern states of the United States. It is sometimes grown for timber, and has become naturalized in some areas outside its native range. It can be found growing successfully in Bismarck, North Dakota, and it is sold as far south as Okeechobee. The American sycamore is also well adapted to life in Argentina and Australia and is quite widespread across the Australian continent especially in the cooler southern states such as Victoria and New South Wales.

Sources and Credits

(c) Famartin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020-05-27_08_59_37_An_American_sycamore_with_a_severe_infection_of_Sycamore_anthracnose_along_Tranquility_Court_in_the_Franklin_Farm_section_of_Oak_Hill,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpg
(c) Arlas!, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foglia_di_platanus_occidentalis4.jpg
(c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Sycamore_bark_-_Platanus_occidentalis,_Leesylvania_State_Park,_Woodbridge,_Virginia.jpg
(c) Colsu, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Platanus_occidentalis-_3460.jpg
(c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/treegrow/22700248700/
(c) Jeff Turner, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_sycamore_(Platanus_occidentalis).jpg
(c) Whoisjohngalt, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moon_Tree_in_Keystone_Heights_Florida.jpg
(c) Famartin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020-11-08_15_39_50_An_American_Sycamore_changing_color_in_autumn_along_Tranquility_Lane_in_the_Franklin_Farm_section_of_Oak_Hill,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpg
Adapted by Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis
(c) Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Form	Tree - large
Light	Full sun, Part sun
Soil moisture	Medium, Wet
Site	Bottomland, Floodplains, Woodland
Bloom period	April
Bloom color	Red, Yellow
Fruit/seeds/etc.	Other
Wildlife supported	Birds - songbirds, Insects - other
Family	Plane family

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