The gentle giant of American trees, Platanus occidentalis has a reputation as the largest of our native Eastern North American trees, its gigantic, camouflage-colored trunks and towering canopies dwarfing even the mightiest oaks. Astute observers of Eastern North American landscapes may find this tree to be well established around parks and residential sites, such as sidewalks, due to its once prolific use as a shade and street tree at the dawn of the creation of the suburban American neighborhood. This large, native, deciduous shade tree was named for its leaf-shape, thought mistakenly to have been related to the European Sycamores by early settlers. Their confusion is understandable - the large, deeply lobed leaves resemble gigantic maple leaves, bright green in color and providing dense shade at the height of the summer. Come autumn, shades of yellow and coppery browns cloak the foliage. American Sycamore fruits are large and overtly spherical, usually occurring singularly, and provide excellent nutrition for bird species such as goldfinches, Juncos, and Carolina chickadees. Despite its nutritional value to birds, deer tend to leave young American Sycamore saplings alone. Platanus occidentalis is notable for its resistance to pests and diseases, as well as its tolerance of being planted near black walnut trees, urban conditions, and air pollution. It seems that the American Sycamore has evolved alongside its fellow citizens to best suit nearly any landscape need one might have, and it deserves to be championed as one of our best and hardiest native shade trees.

• Category: Woody Ornamentals
• Hardiness Zone: 4
• Height: 80 Feet
• Spread: 80 Feet