About
Find Nurseries
Design & Inspiration
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Advanced Search
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Home
Advanced Search
Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant
Add Current Plant To List
Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos
About Calscape
Nurseries
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Donate
Tap map to see plants native to location
Print Plant Signs
Print Plant Labels
Export To Excel
Export To Excel (Detailed)
Order by Popularity
Order by Common Name
Order by Scientific Name
Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars
Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries
Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view
Text view
Home
>
All plants
for California
>
Platanus racemosa
|
Previous
Next
Loading....
Processing the request......
Western Sycamore
( Platanus racemosa )
Platanus racemosa
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
<< Plant species
Zoom To My Address
Zoom To California
Estimated Plant Range (
?
)
occurrences >>
All Occurrence Records
62 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
About Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
62 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
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
Tree
Size
20 - 115 ft tall
50 ft wide
Form
Rounded, Upright Columnar
Growth Rate
Fast, Slow
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Fragrance
None
Flower Color
Yellow, Cream, Orange, Brown
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter
Wildlife Supported
Important for Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and other butterflies, hummingbirds.
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3
confirmed
, 8
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio rutulus
Papilio rutulus
Sycamore Borer Moth
Synanthedon resplendens
Synanthedon resplendens
Ceanothus Borer Moth
Synanthedon mellinipennis
Synanthedon mellinipennis
*
Two-Tailed Swallowtail
Papilio multicaudata
Papilio multicaudata
*
Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus
Antheraea polyphemus
*
Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Archips argyrospila
Archips argyrospila
*
Filament Bearer
Nematocampa resistaria
Nematocampa resistaria
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun
Moisture
Moderate - High
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established
Nurseries
Carried by 62
Ease of Care
Very Easy
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description
Tolerates sand and clay. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens
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
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
?
Stratified seed. For propagating by seed: 2 to 3 months stratification.
Sunset Zones
?
1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 11*, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22, 23, 24
Natural Setting
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
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
Print Plant Sign
Print Plant Label
Back
Print
Back
Print
Western Sycamore
Platanus racemosa
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
Sign in to your Calscape Account
X
Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.
Email Address
Password
Sign In