Buttonball Tree Platanus occidentalis
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PLAT-a-nuz ok-si-den-TAH-lis
- Description
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The American sycamore is a large, fast–growing, woody, deciduous tree in the platanus family (Platanaceae). It has a wide spreading, irregularly shaped crown and distinctive bark. It is native to southeastern Canada and the central and eastern United States. The genus name is derived from the Greek word, plantanos, and originates from the oriental plane tree or Platanus orientalis. The epithet, occidentalis, means western. It was given its common name, sycamore, by European settlers because the foliage looked similar to the sycamore of the British Isles.
The American sycamore may grow 75 to 100 feet tall, is equally as wide, and has a trunk diameter of 10 feet or more. It prefers full sun and moist soils with good drainage but is not particular about soil pH or texture. Propagate it by seed. It is moderately deer-resistant yet is a food source for small mammals and songbirds. It tolerates being planted near black walnut, pollution and urban conditions.
The wood is hard and moderately strong. Native Americans hollowed out the trunk of the American sycamore to make canoes. The sap is sweet and can be tapped in the spring for use as syrup and sugar.
When considering American sycamore for a home landscape, keep in mind that it will require a very large space and its littering of twigs and fruits can be messy. Use it as a privacy screen, a shade tree or a street tree. Plant it as a specimen in a woodland, or a children's, edible, native or rain garden.
Quick ID Hints:
- A large deciduous tree, 75 to 100 feet tall and equally as wide, irregular crown
- The bark is reddish brown to gray, scaly at the base. The upper bark is light gray and exfoliates to expose the inner bark that is white to cream-colored.
- The stems are zigzag, stout and orangish-brown.
- The buds are large, smooth, and best seen during the winter.
- The alternate, large, green, three to five lobed leaves are 4 to 9 inches wide, have coarse toothed margins, and lateral lobes that appear folded.
- The small male and female flowers are insignificant and appear in a single dense cluster on a stalk.
- The fruit ball has a fibrous interior and is densely packed with seeds or achenes.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Potential insects include borers, scales, Japanese beetles, caterpillars, and spider mites. Sycamore anthracnose can severely damage foliage and twigs and frequently causes premature leaf drop. It is susceptible to canker, leaf spots, and powdery mildew. It is susceptible to wind damage.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Howard'
- 'Howard'
- 'Howard'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Howard'
- 'Howard'
- 'Howard'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Platanus
- Species:
- occidentalis
- Family:
- Platanaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Wood is hard and moderately strong, but decays rapidly in the ground. It is often used for chopping blocks, furniture, and chipboard. It is also used to make barrels and crates. Native American hollowed out the trunk of the American sycamore to make canoes.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southeastern Canada and Central to Eastern United States
- Distribution:
- Native: United States--AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WV, and WI. Canada--Ontario. Introduced Ecuador, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus, and Turkmenistan.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- medium flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Many songbirds including the Purple Finch, Juncos, American Goldfinch, and the Carolina Chickadee enjoy eating the seeds. The tree hosts wood-boring insects and leafhoppers.
- Play Value:
- Edible fruit
- Textural
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- The American sycamore is moderately resistant to damage from deer.
- Edibility:
- Sap is sweet and tapped in the spring for use as syrup and sugar.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 75 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 75 ft. 0 in. - 100 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Horizontal
- Irregular
- Pyramidal
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- more than 60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit ball is a showy, fuzzy, long-stalked, round ball that is 0.5 to 1-inches in diameter. There are 1 to 2 fruit balls per peduncle, usually one. The stalk is 3 to 6 inches long. They ripen to brown in the fall and persist into early winter. Each ball is fibrous interiorly and contains many seed-like fruits called achenes. As fall progresses the balls break down and the seeds fly out in downy tufts on the wind. Typically the fruits fall to the ground and then split open to release their seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Description:
- In April, insignificant, small monoecious flowers appear in clusters, typically one cluster to a stalk. The inflorescence is a pendulous, globose syncarp, solitary terminating on an elongated peduncle that is 3 to 6 inches long. Syncarps are hard when young, and crumb apart when they mature. The male flower is greenish-yellow, and the female flower is red.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are large, 3 to 5 lobed, alternate, simple, stipulate, broadly ovate, acute, truncate to cordate, coarsely acuminate toothed, medium to dark green, 4 to 9 inches wide, and usually wider than long. The upper surface is smooth and bright green, and the undersides are paler and pubescent. The leaves can appear folded over or droopy. The petiole flares out and covers over a leaf bud at the base. The leaves turn yellow to brown in the fall. Leaves are floccose to tomentose when young, and become pubescent on veins at maturity. Stipules on young leaves persist into fall, are large, and are acuminate toothed.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Surface/Attachment:
- Exfoliating
- Patchy
- Smooth
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Round
- Bark Description:
- The bark is mottled, reddish brown to gray, and scaly on the base of the trunk. The upper bark is light gray and exfoliates to expose the inner bark that is white to cream-colored. It is called "camouflage bark.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Orange
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Buds:
- Smooth/Hairless
- Stem Bud Scales:
- Enclosed in a single cap like scale
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Description:
- The stems are stout, orangish-brown, and have a zigzag form. The leaf scar encircles the bud, and the stipule scar encircles the twig. The terminal bud is not present. The lateral buds have a single, cap-like scale and are reddish and resinous. Buds are large, conical, acute, smooth, hidden, and surrounded by swollen petiole bases until the leaf drops.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Recreational Play Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Rain Garden
- Design Feature:
- Screen/Privacy
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Street Tree
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Drought
- Pollution
- Urban Conditions
- Voles
- Wet Soil
