Platanus Species, California Plane Tree, California Sycamore, Western Sycamore

The majestic California sycamore is an iconic tree of our state. It is quick and easy to grow, lives a very long time, has unique and un...Read Moretamed beauty while providing food, cover, and homes for birds, butterflies and other animals. It is deer resistant and can handle heat and drought as well as moisture and cold. Do not fault the tree for its susceptibility to anthracnose in certain areas. This is what helps to make the contorted and sculptural trunks we all love to see. Because so many types of nonnative Platanus have been introduced to California, be sure that you are planting the real thing - deeply lobed leaves rather than maple-like leaves. A little known fact is that this tree grows readily from dormant hardwood cuttings. So take a pencil-sized stick in late winter and root it in perlite. I did this last February, and my baby trees are already four feet tall, and will soon shade our home.

P racemosa should be planted in CA rather than the P. acerifolia commonly sold at nurseries and found in mall and office complexes though...Read Moreout the state. P. racemosa is native and well adapted to the dry heat of our summers. P. acerifolia struggles to grow and survive, particularly those planted in the Central Valley and other hot areas of the state. If you compare a P. racemosa and P. acerifolia planted in similar conditions around the same time, the P. racemosa will almost alway be taller and healthier.

This tree's form makes it a picturesque sight whether it's near a stream or in someone's yard. The tree often has multiple trunks that le...Read Morean this way and that. The tree has a pleasing sweet, slightly spicy aroma. New leaves are a more golden color and they are fuzzy. Ca Sycamore is especially lovely in spring when there are larger green leaves with smaller golden new leaves at the branch tips. There is a particularly large and beautiful tree growing next to the Aliso creek in Laguna Woods. Aliso is Spanish for Sycamore. The community of Aliso Viejo gets its name from that very tree.

Because of its tendency to run at the roots keep it far, far away from plumbing and septic systems. The confines of most suburban lots do not allow adequate distance to keep it out of the pipes. If you have the space for it, definitely choose it over London Plane. But if you need a better behaved tree, LP is a good second choice. Some cultivars have the same sweet smell.

Beautiful CA native that grows mostly on the edges of creek banks and seasonal wet places. It will grow in other places with supplementa...Read Morel water. It gets very large. It has an irregular growing pattern, often collapsing on the ground and regrowing new branches and trunks. The bark color is outstanding. It does get anthracnose which causes leaf drop. But it generally does not hurt the plant and it releafs. It would make a good street tree for wide boulevards.