Scientific name: Platanus occidentalis
Common name: American Sycamore, American Planetree
Native: Yes
Native range: It is native to the eastern United States [1,3,4].
Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for P. occidentalis.
USDA Zones: 4-9 [5]
Maximum age: It typically lives to 250 years, however its maximum age may range from 500-600 years [1].
Ecology: Some songbirds and small mammals use its seed for food, and it is attacked by a wide variety of insects [3,4]. It provides nesting habitat for a variety of birds, including the wood duck, Aix sponsa [4].
Ethnobotany: Indigenous American groups have used American sycamore for a wide variety of medical purposes, including as a pulmonary and gynecological aid [1,2,3,4]. Its wood is dense and difficult to work, however it has been used as a building material in furniture making [3].