American sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Peeling white bark lights up winter creek banks.
Hardiness: zones 4 to 9
Light: full sun
Size: about 80 ft tall, 70 ft wide
From: E. North America
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: wildlife.
Native to: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest & Great Lakes, Great Plains & Texas. Hardy in zones 4 to 9.
The story
The American sycamore grows the thickest trunk of any tree in the eastern forest. Old giants along the rivers were often hollow, and early settlers are recorded stabling a horse, or living for a winter, inside one.
Planting
Full sun and moist, deep soil. It belongs on a stream bank or a big open lawn, well away from the house.
Growing
Water young trees. Rake or mow the big leaves and shed bark, or just call it mulch.
Harvest and use
Winter beauty: white upper limbs against a blue sky. Its hollows shelter owls, wood ducks and chimney swifts.
What to watch for
Anthracnose browns the first leaves in wet springs; the tree releafs. Messy and very large.
See if American sycamore fits your yard
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home