Arizona sycamore Platanaceae Platanus wrightii

Leaf:Alternate, simple, deciduous, 6 to 9 inches long, with 3 to 5 pointed lobes, somewhat star-shaped, swollen petiole base, green above, pale green and fuzzy below.
Flower:Species is monoecious; imperfect, both males and females are very small and appear in dense round clusters, typically 2 to 5 hanging on a stalk, appearing with the leaves.
Fruit:Round, somewhat fuzzy tan ball (1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter), 2 to 4 hanging from a slender pendant stalk, each ball composed of numerous tiny, tufted seeds (achenes); balls disintegrate over winter, dispersing the seeds with the wind.
Twig:Moderately stout, zigzag, orange-brown and green, fuzzy when young, circular leaf scar surrounds the reddish cone shaped bud covered with a single cap-like scale.
Bark:Very attractive and striking, smooth gray-green when young but quickly begins to exfoliate into large jigsaw puzzle shaped pieces revealing nearly white inner bark, on larger trees the bark becomes thicker gray-brown, scaly and slightly furrowed.
Form:A medium sized tree (60 to 80 feet tall), typically branching near the base with one large limb often extended over the water, crown is open and spreading.

leaf flower fruit twig bark form map

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