Platanus occidentalis, the American sycamore or buttonwood is perhaps the most massive native deciduous tree of the eastern part of North America. With a range extending from northeast Mexico to southeastern Canada, buttonwood is a frequent inhabitant of moist lowlands, streambanks and marshy areas. It is exceptionally long-lived for a deciduous tree, typically enduring for at least 250 years with some documented specimens’ ages exceeding 600 years. It is an important mid-succession tree and ecologically important both as a food and shelter source for native fauna and a stabilizer of waterways.
In youth, Platanus occidentalis is fast growing, with a tidy, pyramidal form. As the tree matures, it gradually develops a wide-spreading crown, often in excess of 25m (80 ft) at maturity with a height of 30-40m (100 to 130 ft). The canopy of the tree is supported by what can become a massive trunk, often over 1m (3 ft) to as large as 5m (16 ft) in diameter. Older trunks are often hollow and provide shelter and nesting spots for owls, bats, swifts and even occasionally bears.
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Sycamore features large leaves, from 10×10 cm (4×4 in) up to 25×25 cm (10×10 in) in size, palmately veined and resembling at a glance those of Acer saccharum, but thicker. They emerge a greenish-grey, covered in fine hairs and mature to a bright yellowish-green. Autumn color ranges from dull orange to gold and russet. A unique feature of this genus is that the following year’s leaf buds are encased entirely within the thickened base of the petiole (stem) on the current season’s leaves. Flowers are inconspicuous and are followed by a bright green round fruit, 2-4 cm (⅔ to 1⅓ in) in diameter—commonly called a ‘buttonball’—that turns reddish-brown autumn, gradually disintegrating over the winter. The fruit is an aggregate of hundreds of achenes (seeds) attached to a small woody core and surrounded by filaments that allow dispersal in the wind or water.
One of the most outstanding features of Platanus occidentalis is its bark, which provides year-round interest. Young branches rapidly develop a reddish-brown bark that easily flakes revealing a patchwork of whites, greys, and pale greens. As the tree matures, the bark persists on the main trunks and at the base of larger limbs, leaving the mottled-white branching in the crown which is especially appealing against a deep-blue winter sky.
In the landscape, sycamore is particularly suited to large spaces and works as an appealing specimen. Its large root system means it is best sited away from foundations and pavements. It can withstand drought when well-established, but consistent moisture is required for a healthy tree. It has few pests, aside from anthracnose in excessively wet springs which causes browning and leaf loss from which the tree generally quickly recovers. In addition to old trunks serving as nesting spots, the fruits also are a food source for finches and chickadees, as well as squirrels, muskrat, and beaver. The leaves are the sole hosts of at least two species of moths. The wood was used by early European settlers for cabinetry and furniture and by indigenous Americans for bowls and for larger canoes than that could be obtained from hollowing birch trunks. The common name ‘buttonwood’ is also the namesake of the Buttonwood Agreement, signed under a sycamore tree at 68 Wall Street in New York on 17 May 1792, which established what is now the Ney York Stock Exchange.
Platanus occidentalis is one of the more popular offerings at White House Natives has good availability at 1½”, 1¾” and 2” calipers for spring 2025.
