Sycamore

Sycamore   (Buttonwood, American Planetree)

Platanus occidentalis L.

Mature Size: 80 to 100 feet but may reach 150 feet in height, 3 to 4 feet in diameter but may reach 10 feet in diameter

Form: Straight, often massive trunk, with spreading, crooked branches forming an open crown

Where to Find Them: Stream banks and rich bottomlands.  

Leaves: Alternate, simple, 5 to 8 inches long and wide, large-toothed edges, 3 to 5 major lobes divided by broad, shallow sinuses; several main leaf veins branching from a single point at the leaf base; leaf stem base enlarged, encircling the bud; toothed leaf-like growths encircling stem at base of each leaf.

Fruit and Seeds: A ball tightly packed with winged, 1⁄2-inch seeds, surrounded by fine hairs; maturing in late fall; dispersing in the wind in late winter.

Wildlife use: Only a few wildlife species eat the fluffy seeds, the exceptions being purple finch and goldfinch.Large, old, hollow trees serve as roosting and den sites for wildlife.

Bark: Distinctive “camouflage” mottling of brown, green, tan and white; peeling readily; older stems are grayish-brown and scaly.