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American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

59
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
75–100 feet
Spread
75–100 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Spring
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 58 Alabama counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 146 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

42CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Platanus

  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Ancylis divisanaTwo-Toned Ancylis
  • Ancylis platananaSycamore Leafroller
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Conchylodes ovulalisZebra Conchylodes
Show all 42
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Eupsilia vinulentaStraight-Toothed Sallow
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Halysidota harrisiiHarris's Tussock Moth, Sycamore Tussock Moth
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Isochaetes beutenmuelleriSpun Glass Slug
  • Lithophane signosaSycamore Pinion, Signate Pinion
  • Macrurocampa marthesiaMottled Prominent
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Misogada unicolorDrab Prominent
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
  • Pococera militellaSycamore Webworm
  • Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Scolecocampa liburnaDead-Wood Borer
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tortricidia pallidaRed-Cross Button Slug
  • Ectoedemia platanella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Platanus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Platanaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow, green or red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Yellow, green or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “75–100 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “75–100 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Plane Tree; Sycamore

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources