{"slug":"platanus-occidentalis","scientific_name":"Platanus occidentalis","common_names":["American sycamore","Sycamore","American plane tree","Buttonwood"],"family":"Platanaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":27,"mature_spread_m":25,"growth_rate":"fast","lifespan_years":250,"hardiness_zones":[4,9],"sun":"full","water":"high","soil":"Deep, moist bottomland loams and silty clays; adaptable to pH but not to dry, shallow rock","native_range":"Eastern North America from Maine and Ontario to Nebraska, south to the Florida panhandle and east Texas","description":"One of the biggest trees in the East, fast-growing to 75-100 feet with a massive trunk and mottled white and gray bark that peels in plates. Big maple-like leaves and hanging seed balls make a lot of litter. It wants deep, moist soil and room; in Austin, the Grow Green guide steers people to the Mexican sycamore instead, which resists bacterial leaf scorch.","care":"Plant only where it has deep soil, steady moisture and space away from pavement and foundations. Water heavily through establishment. Expect anthracnose to brown and drop leaves in wet springs, and lace bugs to speckle them in summer; neither is usually fatal. Rake often; twigs, bark and fruit balls fall year-round.","benefits":["shade","fast_canopy","wildlife","birds","flood_tolerant","carbon"],"uses":["parks","riparian","yard_shade"],"cautions":["heavy_litter","large_roots","pest_prone","surface_roots"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Pawling_Sycamore%2C_Valley_Forge_National_Historic_Park%2C_Pennsylvania_June_2024.jpg","image_credit":"Marty Aligata, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC","https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLOC","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/platanus-occidentalis/","https://www.austintexas.gov/watershed-protection/plant-guide/sycamore-mexican","https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/plaocc/all.html"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/platanus-occidentalis","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/platanus-occidentalis.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":null,"locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Also native in: CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI, WV (USDA PLANTS distribution)","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"AL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"AR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"FL","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"LA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"MS","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"NC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"OK","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"SC","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"TN","locality":null,"status":"native","note":null,"source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to east Texas; Austin's Grow Green list recommends Mexican sycamore (Platanus mexicana) rather than this species","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/PLOC"},{"country":"US","region":"CO","locality":"Denver","status":"recommended","note":"On the Denver Office of the City Forester Approved Street Tree List","source_url":"https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/747/documents/forestry/Street_tree_guide.pdf"},{"country":"US","region":"DC","locality":"Washington","status":"recommended","note":"On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list","source_url":"https://caseytrees.org/rebate"},{"country":"US","region":"GA","locality":"Atlanta","status":"recommended","note":"On the Trees Atlanta Top 50 Atlanta Trees list","source_url":"https://treesatlanta.org/resources/50-atlanta-trees/"},{"country":"US","region":"TX","locality":"Dallas","status":"recommended","note":"On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List","source_url":"https://dallas.gov/departments/sustainabledevelopment/buildinginspection/DCH%20documents/pdf/BI_Approved%20Tree%20List.pdf"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}