The leaves of the American sycamore appear similar to a maple leaf however, the maple leaf is opposite in arrangement and the sycamore is alternate. Little corrective pruning is required other than removing the occasional upright, aggressive branches with tight crotches. It is pollution tolerant, and has a rapid growth rate, but has numerous pest and disease problems.Ī dominant central leader, which typically develops on sycamore, usually assures that the structure of major limbs is desirable. This plant has moderate drought tolerance. It is tolerant of clay, sand, loam, alkaline, and wet soils. This plant prefers full sun and moist, fertile soils. The common name, sycamore, was so named by European settlers because the foliage of this tree looked similar to the sycamore of the British Isles. The epithet, occidentalis, means western. The genus name, Platanus, is derived from the Greek word, plantanos, and originates from the oriental plane tree or Platanus orientalis. It is native to North Carolina and can be found throughout the state. This tree reaches its largest size along streams, rivers, and flood plains. The American sycamore is native to Southeastern Canada and the Central and Eastern United States. The interior of the fruit ball is fibrous and has many tiny winged seeds or achenes. The tree produces a round fruit ball borne on a 3 to 6-inch stalk. In spring, very small flowers mature in clusters, typically one cluster to a stalk. American sycamore is monecious, having both male and female flowers on the same tree. The tree has alternate leaves with 3 to 5 lobes and a coarsely toothed margin. The bark peels off in patches and the whitened inner bark is the most ornamental trait of this tree. 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. 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. It is one of the largest hardwood trees, by diameter, in North America. Phonetic Spelling PLAT-a-nuz ok-si-den-TAH-lis DescriptionĪmerican 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.
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