The California Sycamore ( Platanus racemosa ) is a proud tree native to California and Baja California . It is chance in riparian areas , canyons , floodplains , and along streams and river , preferring dry to average , well - run out soils . Its range stretch from the southerly part of California , including the San Francisco Bay area , through the Central Valley , and down into Baja California . The tree is also notice in parting of Arizona and Nevada . It can also be determine as far northerly as   Tehama   and   Humboldt   county .

This tall deciduous tree that can grow up to 100 feet ( 32 thou ) in stature and more than five foot ( 1.5 1000 ) in diameter . The torso generally divides into two or more large trunk splitting into many offshoot . Some tree can even be bigger . For instance , a specimen on the campus of Stanford University has a luggage compartment girth ( perimeter ) of 10.5 pes ( 3.20 meter ) . This is in reality a long - survive tree , with some specimens living over 150 twelvemonth . The California Sycamore is both a picturesque ghost tree and an cosmetic Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , bestow 36 inch per class ( 90 cm ) .

In its younger stage , the barque is a greenish - gray color that when peeled away unveil a everlasting white inner barque . As the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ages , the bark becomes more maverick and crude , with honest-to-god portions developing deep furrows or ridges . unexampled twig growth never forms at the tip of the stem like it does in some other plant specie . The sprig and bark range from a light brown Asa Gray to a shade resemble the color sepia .

The leaf of the California Sycamore are enceinte . They are generally ovoid or core - shaped with three to five shallow lobes . The leave-taking have a palmate venation , with the veins originate from a single point at the fundament of the folio . The farewell are hopeful gullible when young , turning to a darker fleeceable as they maturate . In the fall , the leaves wrick a yellow or golden brown before they fall off .

The surface of the leafage is smooth , with a leathery texture . The underside of the leafage is paler and may have a fine hairiness . The petiole , or leaf stems , are foresightful and stalwart , often matching the dark-green colouring of the leaves or being slightly wanton . When the parting fall , they leave behind detectable cicatrix on the branchlet and branch .

This tree produces flowers that are minor and arranged in globular clusters known as inflorescences . These inflorescences dangle from the tree on long stalk , which are sometimes up to three column inch long . Each cluster can contain as many as 100 tiny flower . The blooming period is from March to May , depend on the local climate and conditions .

The flowers themselves are not peculiarly showy , as they are primarily hint - pollinated . This means that they do not need to draw insects for pollenation , unlike flowers that swear on bees or other dirt ball . The manlike and distaff flowers occur in unlike clusters on the same Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , with male clusters being greenish - tan and smaller than a one-half inch in diameter , while distaff clusters are larger and have a more prominent appearance .

After pollenation , the distaff flowers develop into global fruits . These fruit are often referred to as “ buttonballs ” due to their coming into court . They are fleeceable when young and turn chocolate-brown as they mature . Each fruit contains a single semen , which is surround by a stack of fine whisker . These hairs act as a parachute , allowing the come to be disperse by the current of air . These yield can persevere on the tree throughout the summertime and into the fall . The fruits are not look at edible for human beings , and they can be a nuisance when they return from the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and accumulate on the earth .

The California Sycamore has a tap antecedent system , which means it has a unmarried , central origin that grow straight down from the base of the torso . The roots can strain to a depth of 10 feet or more , with an mean depth of about 4 feet below the control surface .

California sycamore Sir Henry Wood is extremely hard and difficult to work , but can still be employed to make a variety of items such as   buttons , baccy box , article of furniture , wooden utensil , and barrels . The course and wide canopy of the species make it an effective shade tree .   This western lacewood ’s spook cool the surround body of H2O while simultaneously offering a base for some animal in the humid environment in which it flourishes .

USDA Hardiness Zones

The California Sycamore ( Platanus racemosa ) is well - beseem to USDA Hardiness Zones 7 through 10 .

zona 7 ( 0 to 10 ° F / -17.8 to -12.2 ° degree centigrade ):

Zone 8 ( 10 to 20 ° F / -12.2 to -6.7 ° degree Celsius ):

geographical zone 9 ( 20 to 30 ° atomic number 9 / -6.7 to -1.1 ° blow ):

zona 10 ( 30 to 40 ° fluorine / -1.1 to 4.4 ° C ):

Cultivation

Planting

Care