Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
A native we do not grow
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis. Large tree, 59 to 121 feet, zones 4 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow American sycamore, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Buttonwood, American planetree, planetree, buttonball tree, eastern sycamore |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 59 to 121 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 100 |
| Zones | 4 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Wildlife value, hedge or screen, winter interest |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Seed balls, September to May |
| First crop | 6 to 7 years (open-grown trees; dense stands from about 25) |
| Pollination | Needs a second, unrelated tree. Male and female flowers grow on the same tree, but a lone sycamore sets few filled seeds from its own pollen, so plant a second one nearby. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 500 years, and the oldest dated one reached 412. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on American sycamore marks it as one that transplants well. |
| Black walnut | Tolerant, on the Morton Arboretum's list as “sycamore” |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, stream banks, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges |
| Native in | 34 states and the District of Columbia |
American sycamore is native in 34 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Washington, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of American sycamore's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Littlehip Hawthorn
Crataegus spathulata Small tree Zones 5–9 10–26 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
Devil's Walking Stick
Aralia spinosa Small tree Zones 4–9 10–20 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, rich moist slopes, old fields and edges in the wild.
American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Sugarberry
Celtis laevigata Large tree Zones 5–10 50–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa Large tree Zones 4–8 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, old fields and edges in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, UF/IFAS Extension, the US Forest Service and Virginia Tech's dendrology site.