Stats

Lifespan: 200-300 yrs
Size: Huge
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate deciduous forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Armor
Status: Common

About

The American sycamore is the largest native tree in eastern North America, instantly recognizable by its patchwork bark that peels away to reveal creamy white, tan, and olive-green blotches underneath. It thrives along riverbanks and floodplains, with hollow trunks that have historically sheltered nesting birds and even entire families of early settlers.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Proteales
Family: Platanaceae
Genus: Platanus
Species: Platanus occidentalis