// SPECIES PROFILE · TREE · NATIVE

American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

Sycamore is the most recognizable tree along any Oklahoma river — bone-white upper limbs against the sky, mottled puzzle-piece bark on the lower trunk, and the largest leaves of any native eastern hardwood. Older trees develop massive hollow trunks that house everything from owls to bears.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Platanaceae
Group: tree
Native range: E. & C. US incl. all major OK rivers
USDA hardiness: Zones 4–9
Mature size: 75–100 ft
Sun: Full sun
Water: Moist; very flood-tolerant
Wildlife value: Cavity nesting site for chimney swift, wood duck; host to sycamore tussock moth
Ecological role: massive bottomland tree · puzzle-piece bark

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) — *Platanus occidentalis*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Best given room to spread. Sheds large leaves and 1-inch seed balls in fall — not for tidy yards. Anthracnose can defoliate young trees in cool wet springs but recovery is fast.

Why it's on this list: massive bottomland tree · puzzle-piece bark. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

Along a stream or seasonal floodplain, american sycamore pairs naturally with: american elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides), american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), and joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum).

american sycamore works best as a canopy or sub-canopy partner above the herbaceous and shrub layers.

Photo Reference

// Platanus occidentalis — American sycamore
Photo: mattdemmon (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)