Platanus Occidentalis

Mar, Apr, May

Trees, Native Plant, Tree

Perennial, Woody

36-72 ft.

In April, insignificant, small monoecious flowers yellow (male), red (female), appear in clusters, typically one cluster to a stalk. Inflorescence is a pendulous, globose syncarp, solitary terminating on an elongated peduncle that is 3 to 6 inches long. Syncarps are hard when young, and crumb apart when they mature.

The fruit is a showy fuzzy, long-stalked, spherical ball (to 1 3/8 inches diameter). They ripen to brown in the fall and persist into early winter. Each ball contains many seed-like fruits called achenes. As fall progresses the balls break down and the seeds fly out in downy tufts on the wind. Achene borne 3-6 inch stalk fruit with tiny winged .5 inch long seed maturing in November and disseminating in late winter., Orange, Brown