American Sycamore
Scientific name: Platanus occidentalis
This tree is most easily identified by its distinctive bark, which falls off in large pieces, showing the white or green of the younger bark below. In winter when the leaves have fallen, the entire tree appears white, leading Native Americans to call it the “Ghost Tree”. Because it grows along stream banks and stands out so clearly in winter, it is a useful guide to finding water sources. It is renown for a massive trunk and heights of over 100 feet. Sycamores can live from 400-600 years. Please take a moment to enjoy the beautiful video below.
Leaves
The leaves of the sycamore are familiar to New Yorkers because New York City Parks uses it as its symbol. Leaves have three to five shallow lobed leaves with pointed tips. They turn yellow in fall. Sized from 4 to 8 inches, they are rather large, compared to most other leaves.
Fruit
Brown woody balls. Seeds inside are in V- shaped pairs and are carried by the wind.
Flowers
In May and June, with male and female flowers present on the same tree.
Locally
Several very large sycamores grow in North Salem at the intersection of Route 22 and Titicus Road. The largest tree in Connecticut is the “Pimchot Tree”, an American sycamore with a circumference of 28 feet around and a height of 100 feet.
Habitat
Rich bottomlands, along streams and other places where there is fertile, moist soil. Does best in full sun.
Leaves
The leaves of the sycamore are familiar to New Yorkers because New York City Parks uses it as its symbol. Leaves have three to five shallow lobed leaves with pointed tips. They turn yellow in fall. Sized from 4 to 8 inches, they are rather large, compared to most other leaves.
Fruit
Brown woody balls. Seeds inside are in V- shaped pairs and are carried by the wind.
Flowers
In May and June, with male and female flowers present on the same tree.
Ecosystem Connections
Sycamores are known for their large hollow trunks which shelter animals. Its twisted branches also are good nesting and resting places for wildlife.
Human Connections
- Its wood has been used for everything from barbershop poles to buttons and butcher blocks
- Tolerates air pollution and creates shade
- Early settlers out west even used the huge hollow trunks as a temporary shelter for their family, while building a house!
Characteristic Bark
Credit: Richard Stephen Haynes
Dense Canopy
Beautiful Shape
Massive Shade
It really is Big!
Credit Mike Dickie
Sycamore tree in early spring; Baxter Preserve, North Salem, NY
Credit: Linda Broudy
More on Trees and Shrubs in Lewisboro
Lewisboro was once entirely forested except for patches of open field caused by fire and wetlands and ponds which were expanded by beaver dams. Although it is hard to believe, by 1800 most of Lewisboro’s forests had been cut down and replaced by farms. In 1820 so many trees had been cleared that there was no shade anywhere along the route from Boston to New York.[1] But by the mid-1800’s farming here became uneconomical and as farms were abandoned, the forests began to re-grow. Today, 70% of New York is once again forest, what some call ‘the great environmental story of the United States’[2]. These new forests provide us with beauty and recreation, clean air and water, flood control, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures and habitat for other plants, insects, birds and other wildlife.
[1] Cronon, William. Changes in the Land. Macmillan, 1983.
[2] An Explosion of Green. B. Mckibben. Atlantic Monthly 275 (April 1995): 61-83.