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Western Sycamore
Platanus racemosa
  
About Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) 62 Nurseries Carry This Plant The Western Sycamore (Platanus racemora), a species of plane tree native to California, is a tall, distinctive tree that stands out in any landscape. This tree is known for its bark, which is mottled in shades of pale tan, gray, and white. The bark peels as it ages. It has twisting branches and large leaves which turn orange-yellow in the fall. It produces seed balls after blooming. It's an important host plant for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

Naturally found in moist areas near rivers and streams, this tree requires a significant amount of water to thrive. When not planted near a water source, it needs regular irrigation. The Western Sycamore tolerates different soil types and does best in full sun. It can grow up to 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide, so be sure to give new trees a large planting area.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Tree

Size
Size
20 - 115 ft tall
50 ft wide

Form
Form
Rounded, Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Slow

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Cream, Orange, Brown

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
Important for Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and other butterflies, hummingbirds.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates sand and clay. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Its large, deciduous leaves tend to bury small understory plants unless regular leaf removal is carried out. Use with larger shrubs or small trees that can tolerate additional water, such as Wild Rose (Rosa californica), Ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus), Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), willows (Salix species), and Mulefat (Baccharis salacifolia).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Susceptible to anthracnose fungus (leaf blight), which typically does not kill the tree but causes disfiguration of the leaves in mild cases and leaf loss in severe cases.

Propagation
Propagation?
Stratified seed. For propagating by seed: 2 to 3 months stratification.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11*, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Almost always found in wetland-riparian settings such as streamsides, canyon bottoms with more moisture below 4,000 feet from northern Central Valley to coastal San Diego County and Baja. It is often found adjacent to drier habitats such as chaparral, valley grassland, mixed woodlands or evergreen forests.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.8" - 57.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 2.31", Coldest Month: 24.6" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 45.5" - 87.7", Humidity: 0.47" - 38.56", Elevation: -6" - 11310"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Aliso, California Plane, California Sycamore


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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