Sycamore trees are known for adaptability and toughness
Editor's note: Once a month, the OSU Extension master gardener's office of Franklin County profiles a plant that occurs naturally in central Ohio.
A scan of stream and river banks in this part of the country frequently reveals tall, broad trees towering over the landscape. Their upper trunks bear a creamy white bark that transitions to an interesting mottled appearance farther down the tree. What you observe is one of the larger deciduous trees in the eastern U.S.— the American sycamore.
Also known as planetree or buttonwood, Platanus occidentalis is a fastgrowing giant that can ultimately reach 100 feet or more in height and up to 10 feet in diameter at the base.
In Central Ohio, sycamores and their variants are sometimes planted as street trees due to their toughness and adaptability. But given their growth rate and mature size, they can overwhelm planting strips or sites that are too narrow. They are better suited to parks and large yards where they can grow large and offer plenty of shade.
In their natural settings, sycamores provide habitat for bird species as diverse as chickadees, barred owls and wood ducks. Cavity nesting wildlife seek out the trunk hollows that develop with age.
Sycamore leaves resemble those of maple trees, but are much larger, reaching widths of nine or more inches. The dark green summer canopy turns yellow-brown in the fall. In spring inconspicuous flowers form in round oneinch spheres known as syncarps. Hanging from branches on long stalks, these fruits will sometimes overwinter on the trees, dispersing hundreds of seeds in spring.
The most striking ornamental feature of this tree is the exfoliating (peeling) outer bark that is shed in fairly large, irregular sheets. At first this creates a mottled pattern until the creamy white inner bark is fully exposed. Such bark shedding — along with cast off leaves, twigs and fruit — can create quite a bit of litter during summer months and dry periods.
Furniture, butcher’s blocks, crates and flooring have been made from the dense, hard wood of the sycamore. The common name buttonwood originated from the tree’s use in making buttons for clothing and shoes. Parts of the tree have been used by native peoples for a variety of medicinal purposes.
A related specimen is the London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia), a hybrid cross between the American sycamore and the Oriental planetree (Platanus orientalis). London planetrees gained popularity in Europe for their supposed tolerance of urban conditions and drought, and their heightened resistance to anthracnose. This hybrid and its cultivars are now common in the U.S. Ornamentally they are quite similar to the native species, although their bark typically has a pale green or olive cast.
Growing conditions
Hardiness zones: 4-9
Sun: Full sun
Water: Adaptable; tolerates wet conditions and some drought
Soil: Performs best in moist, humusy soils
Maintenance: Requires little pruning, transplants easily
Propagation: By seed and cuttings Pests and diseases: The fungal disease anthracnose commonly results in new shoot dieback and defoliation. Though typically non-fatal, misshapen twig and branch growth can result. Japanese beetles, lace bugs, scale and boring insects also can be problems.