Platanus racemosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Platanus racemosa
Scientific classification
Genus:	Platanus
Species:	racemosa
Natural range

The California sycamore (also known as Platanus racemosa) is a special type of plane tree. People also call it the western sycamore or California plane tree. In Spanish, it's known as aliso.

This tree grows naturally in California and Baja California. You can often find it near water, like along rivers and streams. It also grows in canyons, floodplains, and near natural springs. You can see these trees as far north as Tehama and Humboldt counties.

What Does the California Sycamore Look Like?

This is a very large tree! It can grow up to 35 meters (about 115 feet) tall. Its trunk can be as wide as one meter (about 3 feet). One amazing tree at Stanford University has a trunk that is over 10 feet around!

The trunk often splits into two or more big trunks. These then spread out into many branches. The bark is very pretty, like a patchwork quilt. It has colors like white, light brown, pinkish-gray, and pale brown. Older bark gets darker and peels off. The California sycamore is a key tree in a special type of forest called sycamore-alluvial woodland. This habitat is important but also endangered.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves are large and shaped like a hand with fingers spread out. They can be up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) wide. Each leaf has three or five pointed parts. When new leaves grow, they are bright green and a bit fuzzy.

This tree is deciduous, which means it loses its leaves every fall. In autumn, the leaves turn a beautiful golden or reddish-orange color before they drop. The tree's flowers grow in small, round clusters, each about one centimeter wide. The female flowers turn into round fruit clusters. These clusters are made of many small, hairy, maroon-red seeds called achenes.

Wood and Wildlife

The wood of the California sycamore is tough and hard to split. It has been used for things like butcher blocks. Many small birds like to eat the tree's fruit. Some mammals also eat its twigs and bark.

Sometimes, the tree's pollen or the tiny hairs on its leaves can cause allergies for some people. Young leaves can get a disease called anthracnose canker. This disease can make the tree's branches grow in interesting, curvy ways as it gets older.

Growing California Sycamores

People often plant California sycamores in parks, public spaces, and private gardens. They are popular landscape trees. Even though they like some water, they can handle dry conditions once they are grown.

These trees are great for "green architecture" and "sustainable design." This is because they provide lots of shade in the hot summer. In winter, when their leaves fall, they let the sunlight through. Their unique bark and shape also make them a beautiful addition to any landscape.

Images for kids

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  Platanus racemosa leaves and achenes

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  Three-trunked specimen

See also

In Spanish: Platanus racemosa para niños