Secret of the James - The Ghostly Sycamore

by Judith Warrington, JRA's Communications Coordinator

If there’s a perfect tree for the Halloween season it’s the American sycamore. In October, as the leaves begin to fall, the ghostly trunk of the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), sometimes called a buttonwood or planetree, stands out starkly along the river bank.

You’ll recognize a sycamore by its mottled exfoliating bark that looks almost white amid the darker tree trunks. Think of it as a mummy losing its wrappings or a zombie tree and you’ll get the picture. This peeling bark is the result of the tree’s growth process. Unlike most other trees that have bark that stretches or infills as the trunk grows, the sycamore’s rigid bark lacks elasticity and flakes off to accommodate the growth of new wood.

Another distinguishing feature of the American sycamore is its round, seed pods. These round balls hang from the branches and may remain affixed throughout the winter, giving the tree a festive decorated look.

Found throughout the eastern U.S., it is one of the largest trees in the eastern forest. A sycamore can reach a height of 70 to 100 feet with a canopy spread of 60 to 80 feet. While surveying for the Kanawha Canal, George Washington recorded a sycamore tree with a trunk that measured 45 feet in circumference. That’s a monster of a tree! Also monstrous in size are its leaves, the largest of any North American tree, which often measure up to 8 inches across.

Keeping with the Halloween tree theme, the sycamore is susceptible to anthracnose fungus which can affect stem growth and form "witches' brooms" or leafless clusters of sprouts that form on limbs. For this reason, anthracnose resistant hybrids of the sycamore, like the London planetree, are better suited to an urban environment as a shade tree.

This large tree is most often found in a riparian setting, so the next time you’re near the James River, look for a ghostly pale tree trunk. You might by surprised by how many American sycamore trees you see.