TREE FACTS
SYCAMORE MOON TREE

Matt Nielson
Owner and President, Green Groves, LLC

Sycamore Moon Tree
Platanus occidentalis

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For many of us who live in all but the most urban of areas, trees are a daily part of our lives that we move past with little attention. The sycamore aka American planetree (Platanus occidentalis) planted on the University of Florida campus is a prime example of an exemption to the rule. The moon trees are a testament to the curiosity of humans to explore the world around us. Among the five tree species taken on a lunar mission in 1971 was a sycamore.

Among the tallest tree species east of the Mississippi River, huge specimens of sycamore occur primarily along waterways. Often, London planetree (Plantanus x acerifolia), a unique interspecific hybrid between American planetree and Oriental planetree (Platanus orientalis) is used for urban plantings due to its high level of disease resistance.

Be sure to give a sycamore the space to grow to its majestic full potential. Its native range is most of the eastern United States so it may be a good candidate for your landscape. Even though most sycamores available from nurseries haven’t spent their time in space, their exfoliating white-gray splotchy bark, fast growth rate, and huge trunks leave us feeling in awe of one of the finest trees nature has to offer.