Platanus racemosa, the
California Sycamore can become an incredible specimen. The white
bark, and the large foliage will not only visually cool down a landscape,
but the large leaves transpire a lot of water and this takes energy out of
the atmosphere. And the temperature under the trees on a hot day is
significantly cooler. Sycamore trunks can arch and bend
dramatically. Platanus racemosa trunks can even touch the ground and
go back up as demonstrated by the locally famous tree at Libby Bowl in
Ojai. Platanus racemosa is native to stream banks throughout the
lower elevations of California and many of the Western States.
Platanus racemosa prefers to have its feet near water and performs well in
a lawn. The Sycamore has a couple of traits that make it difficult
in a residential landscape. The first is the size. Most yards are not
large enough to handle a 60 foot Sycamore or even more. The second
is related, the Sycamore will have a lot of leaves, and these seem to fall off all of
the time. Neat freaks beware. A lot of people are allergic to
the pollen, to the hairs on the leaves, and the fibers on the
flowers. While Platanus racemosa may survive a hard pruning they can
never regain the grace of an open tree. There is a native fungal
disease, anthracnose. This will make disfigure many of the leaves
each year. The most damaged leaves will fall in the early Summer. I have
never seen this to be fatal to the Sycamore trees, just messy in the yard.
Since it is a native disease you may be able to fix your tree for a little
while by spraying but it will come back shortly if the conditions are right. And
fungicides are one of the more toxic pesticides around. The broad
leafed mistletoe is commonly brought to the trees by the birds. This
is a great food source for bluebirds, phainopepla's, lawrence's goldfinch,
the great purple hairstreak butterfly. I love to have wildlife in
the garden. The mistletoe will do far less damage to the tree than
the eradication process. And I like the added wildlife
in the garden. The lessor goldfinches will swarm the tree as the
seeds ripen. The Sycamore tree is a magnet for wildlife activity.
High resolution images
of Platanus racemosa are available
