Lenox PA
2007

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Reaching an average height of 100 feet at maturity with a similarly wide crown spread, the white bark American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is a dramatic addition to a large landscape. It grows well in zones 4 through 9, averaging two to two-and-a-half feet of growth per year. It produces insignificant yellow-red flowers in spring that give way to large green leaves (up to nine inches wide) in summer. Brownish non-edible fruit balls develop in summer and eventually dry out, bursting open to release downy seeds. Its mottled white bark, which starts out brown and turns creamy white after 10 to 12 years, makes it a favorite in the winter landscape.

American sycamore is a large deciduous tree that may grow 75 to 100 feet tall, is equally as wide, and has a trunk diameter of 10 feet or more. It is one of the largest hardwood trees, by diameter, in North America. This plant is pyramidal in youth, and as it develops it becomes more rounded with an irregular crown and supported by a few large diameter branches. Branches are usually spaced two to four feet apart along the trunk to develop a strong structure. The bark of the tree has a mottled look created by the darker outer layers peeling to expose the lighter inner layers. The bark peels off in patches and the whitened inner bark is the most ornamental trait of this tree. The tree has alternate leaves with 3 to 5 lobes and a coarsely toothed margin. American sycamore is monecious, having both male and female flowers on the same tree. In spring, very small flowers mature in clusters, typically one cluster to a stalk. The tree produces a round fruit ball borne on a 3 to 6-inch stalk. The interior of the fruit ball is fibrous and has many tiny winged seeds or achenes.