American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Avg. Rating:
   
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American Sycamore
Details:
Plant Facts Mature Height | 70 - 100 feet | Mature Spread | 60 - 80 feet | Soil Type | Well Drained | Moisture | Prefers Moist | Mature Form | Broad, Round | Growth Rate | Moderate to Fast | Sun Exposure | Full Sun | Flower Color | Not Showy | Fall Color | Tan to Brown | Foliage Color | Green | | 4-9 |
The American Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, is a very adaptabe and rugged tree. American Sycamore trees are fast growing, large shade trees with a massive trunk and a have a wide-spreading open crown of large crooked branches. This deciduous tree has a smooth almost white bark when mature. The bark will flake off in irregular thin pieces which give American Sycamore trees an impressive mottled appearance. Sycamore trees have light green colored leaves that turn golden in the fall providing contrasting fall color. The American Sycamore has moderate water requirements and exhibits a moderate tolerance to salt and alkali soils. It is a very popular city tree for adverse urban conditions and soils.
Reviews:
   
Excellent Tree! - Here's Why -, 11/14/2007 8:12:13 AM
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Reviewer: skate
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The gotgeous sycamore grows to stately height, and can cool a whole house in hot weather. Its prettier than any other tree - simply elegant bark, lovely rustling leaves...which, though large, are SO EASY to clean up in autumn....if you run over the dry leaves with a mower, they DISAPPEAR! Ive never seen any other trees leaves clean up so easily. Yes, they drop seed pods in the fall...but what tree doesnt? - and they are light and easy to pick up. The sycamore has no "spring flower" drop like many other trees. I hear about twigs dropping but in our trees, they are relatively few compared to other native hardwoods. Very drought resistant, wind tolerant, wet soil tolerant...and nothing will look so gorgeous year round. Get two: plant one due East and West of your home for fantastic cool summer shade. We live in an area where sycamores were planted as memorials along the highway to boys and men killed in World War I, and these 100-year-old trees still grace the roadways so beautifully, majestic and tall. I never see big branches fall on any of them. We have several in our yard...they are my FAVORITE tree, by FAR. Plant one in honor of someone, or even for Earth day...your sycamore will be a wonderful tribute. And they make GREAT trees to hang a swing from their big horizontal branches. I cant say enough good things about them.
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