Illustration
California Sycamore
Platanus racemosa
Also called western sycamore and california plane
California Sycamore blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing California Sycamore
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–9. Expect it to reach about 57 ft tall and 37 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 10 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
No toxicity note is on file for California Sycamore. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant California Sycamore
Plant California Sycamore in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 8, the middle of its hardy zones 7 to 9, spring means February to April and fall means September or October. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 8, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 8 in February. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does California Sycamore get?
57 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult37 ftwideSee California Sycamore in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant California Sycamore
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give California Sycamore about 37 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add California Sycamore to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
California Sycamore's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom color and trait tags were checked against 6 published sources on November 5, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- csustan.eduCalifornia State University, Stanislausheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Oregon State Universityheight, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- calfloranursery.comCalifornia Flora Nurseryheight, spread, sun, water and trait tags
- keepingitgreennursery.comKeeping It Green Nurseryheight, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- nathistoc.bio.uci.eduUniversity of California, Irvine, Natural History of Orange Countyheight and bloom months and color
- dendro.cnre.vt.eduVirginia Tech Dendrologyheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 1 state
United States: California
Recorded growing wild in 32 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
1 more variety in the Sycamore group
Same genus, similar care - pick the one you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from April through May: American Sycamore opens first (April) and California Sycamore is the last to finish (May).
Compare every variety in the Sycamore group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Yellow | Apr | Zones 4–9 | Full sun | 88 ft × 88 ft |
| Californiathis page | Red | Apr–May | Zones 7–9 | Full sun | 57 ft × 37 ft |
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