Sycamore -- "A great and noble tree" (Michael Dirr) -- is a large, majestic tree unbelievably beautiful on a moonlit night, soaring above its surroundings and featuring clear, white bark along its upper branches.
Sycamore is one of the tallest of the Eastern deciduous trees and the largest by far at my nearby elementary school, where groups of kids congregate, hugging the trunk and step-stoning along its massive roots.
Good to wildlife, Sycamore is a larval host to the American Dagger and several other moth species. Finches, chickadees and other birds eat the seeds and waterfowl nest in its trunk.
It's a pleasure to stand under the tree and gaze up at the branches and glorious crown of huge, crooked branches. If you've got the space, think about adding a Sycamore :).
2nd and 3rd photos: Creative Commons
Sycamore
- Latin: Platanus occidentalis
- Pollinator value: Medium
- Wetland status: FACW
- Current Height: 6 feet
- Mature height: 75-100 feet; 35-75-foot spread; 10-foot (or more!) trunk diameter
- Light: Sun to part shade
- Soil: Moist, adaptable
- Growth Rate: Fast (2 feet per year)
- Fruit: Spring, fuzzy balls
- Foliage: Deciduous, yellow fall
- Deer resistant: High
- Landscape uses: Massive shade tree; yards, lawns, open areas, low-lying, moist areas.
- More information and native range here