American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

native · Hill Countrysold locally

American Sycamore is a tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 75–100 ft tall and 50 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and high water, and handles clay soil. Blooms red in spring. Deer rarely browse it. Good for birds.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

7 sources

Type: Tree
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3–6 hrs of direct sun)
Water: High
Height: 75–100 ft
Spread: 50 ft
Bloom: Spring · red
Foliage: Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist, sand
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it
Wildlife: Supports birds

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones CanyonlandsLlano UpliftEdwards Plateau WoodlandNorthern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

2,277 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

3 inch pot5, 15, 30, 45 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.