Mexican Sycamore
Platanus mexicana
Family: Platanaceae
OTHER COMMON NAMES
Mexican plane tree
Spanish: alamo
CHARACTERISTICS
Large deciduous tree, 60’. Male and female flowers are borne separately on the same plant from December through February and appear as greenish balls hanging from the branches. Aggregate-like fruit about 1.5 inches in diameter follow in April through August. Brilliant fall color (some years better than others depending on timing of cold and rain). Magnificent mottled trunks. This plant has been observed to be slightly more drought and disease resistant than the species native to the US.
LANDSCAPE USE
Large specimen tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun
WATER riparian, lots of water
SOIL prefers sandy or rocky soil, amendments encouraged
HARDINESS hardy to about 0°F
BASIN low zone
CONTAINER does ok in container but will not attain full size
NUTRITION moderate
MAINTENANCE very little
ECOLOGY
Seeds and nesting habitat for many species of birds. Tall trees like this are important in our region, especially for raptors (hawks and owls) as nesting and perching sites. With the loss of riparian habitat, we have lots many of our taller trees in southern Arizona. Larval host for the American Zela Metalmark (Apodemia zela ssp. cleis), the Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), and the Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus).
ETHNOBOTANY
The wood of sycamores has often been used for many construction applications.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Along streams in tropical and subtropical forest, between 1000 and 6000 ft. in northeastern and central Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This species is in the Platanaceae, the sycamore family. There are 11 species in the genus native to the Northern Hemisphere.
Platanus is Greek platanos for the long-lived, old world plane tree (Platanus orientalis). The species name “mexicana” means “of Mexico”.
The trunks shed bark to exposed a mottled trunk from beneath. Photo by Ignacio Torres García, iNaturalist
Trees can get very large! Photo by Rouss, iNaturalist
The leaves of the Mexican sycamore are more entire than the Arizona sycamore, and have a lighter-colored underside. Photo by Austin R. Kelly, iNaturalist
Fruits are a brownish ball (multiple of achenes), photo by Guillermo Lezama Balderas, iNaturalist