Home / Plants / Grow / Sycamore maple

Sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus · Sapindaceae · all Acer records

Your local evidence lens

Separate evidence questions, never one approval badge

Set a ZIP to compare this record with state distribution, native range, USDA hardiness, and invasive records.

A genus split is not a placement verdict. Set a ZIP to read the local documented split.

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence: Highly flammable — location does not change the cited classification.
Fire-performance conditions: No test or rating condition is normalized.
Fire ecology context: No section-reviewed fire-ecology context is normalized.
Placement evidence: 1 source placement record; source schemes remain separate.
Evidence regions: Global; New Zealand; eastern US
Maintenance: No sourced horticultural maintenance assertion is normalized; fire-test conditions do not supply maintenance advice.

2. Why this plant is relevant here

State distribution: Documented in CT, DC, DE, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, WV.
Native range: No current cited or legacy state native range is normalized.
Introduced / established: 19 sourced range or established records; set a location to match them. This is not an invasive warning.
USDA hardiness: Documented minimum 4b; no upper limit is documented.

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

Legal-list status: 2 legal-list records; set a location to match exact scope.
Seed-list status: Set a location to compare the separate state noxious-weed seed layer.
Reported invasive here: 1 ecological invasive report; set a location to distinguish exact from regional context.
Broader regional context: Aggregate AK, HI, and L48 evidence is shown only as regional context, never as an exact-state finding.
Federal context: Federal designations remain separate from state legal-list results.

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) — Photo: (c) Sandy Wolkenberg, some rights reserved (CC BY) (CC BY), via iNaturalist. Species-typical, not necessarily this cultivar.

Form: tree
USDA hardiness: Minimum 4b; upper limit not documented
Mature height: ~50 ft
Light: Full sun
Water need: moderate
Grows in: CT, DC, DE, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME +8
Rated in: Global; New Zealand; eastern US
Family: Sapindaceae
Evidence: 14 cited sources

Native and introduced range evidence

These are exact U.S. botanical-area records from the cited range source. Native and introduced describe biogeographic relationship, not fire performance or planting approval. Doubtful and extinct rows stay visible but do not count as current presence.

Current native

0

exact source areas

Current introduced

19

exact source areas

Qualified

0

doubtful or extinct source rows

19 introduced source areas · World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16 v16, as of 2026-06-04

Connecticut (CT)
District of Columbia (DC)
Delaware (DE)
Idaho (ID)
Illinois (IL)
Kentucky (KY)
Massachusetts (MA)
Maryland (MD)
Maine (ME)
Michigan (MI)
North Carolina (NC)
New Jersey (NJ)
New York (NY)
Ohio (OH)
Oregon (OR)
Pennsylvania (PA)
Rhode I. (RI)
Virginia (VA)
Washington (WA)

The lossless worldwide derivative is retained once in the research corpus; object pages repeat only exact U.S. areas needed by the local lens. The JSON twin carries the same page assertions.

Plant hardiness evidence

These values describe the plant source. Your ZIP zone comes from the separate 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Whole-zone values stay whole-zone, and a single unresolved value is not treated as a tolerance range. Different source boundaries stay separate: overlapping statements are compared independently, while only ranges with no shared zone are called a conflict.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector · record acer-pseudoplatanus · 2016-wayback · as of 2026-08-26

Source prints 4 · single-value meaning unresolved · whole zone precision · source stated

Source taxon: Acer pseudoplatanus · exact match.

Source location: Cold Hardiness Zone field in the recovered selector record.

Not used for comparison: The recovered selector prints one Cold Hardiness Zone value but does not define it as a minimum threshold or a one-zone range.
USDA PLANTS Database — Plant Characteristics · record ACPS · PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23 · as of 2026-08-26

Minimum 4b · no upper limit documented · half zone precision · derived containing band

Exact source measurement: -23°F; mapped only to its containing half-zone.

Source taxon: Acer pseudoplatanus · source identifier match.

Source location: PlantCharacteristics record 92845, Temperature, Minimum (°F).

Legal restrictions and listings.

MA · prohibited · Prohibited · Authority: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Source: Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List , record massachusetts:124:acer-pseudoplatanus, 2026-08-26.

NY · prohibited · Prohibited invasive species — specified possession, trade, transport, introduction, propagation, and disposal rules · Authority: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Source: New York 6 NYCRR Part 575 Prohibited and Regulated Invasive Species , record new-york:part-575:plant:001, 2026-08-26.

activity restriction: No person may knowingly possess this prohibited invasive species with intent to sell, import, purchase, transport, or introduce it; sale, import, purchase, transport, introduction, and propagation are prohibited, and disposal must render it nonliving and nonviable. (official condition)
operational exception: Possession or transport for identification or disposal, and control or management of pre-existing invasive species, remain exempt when handled within Part 575's no-spread boundary. (official condition)
permit required: A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation permit is required to carry out a prohibited activity for research, education, or another approved activity: possession with intent to sell, import, purchase, transport, or introduction. (official condition)

Legal designations are separate from ecological invasion reports and fire performance. Read the named class, taxonomic scope, authority, and operating conditions before acting.

Where its sources say to plant it

Placement rules below use each source's own distances or named zones, tied to its rating. They are not interchangeable with the directory's current Zone 0 guidance.

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector: Landscape Zone 3 — 10–30 ft from the structure; thin vegetation, remove debris, and minimize plant massing [Fire Performance Plant Selector landscape zone] (mid-scale rating)

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Avoids (1)

Low Flammability Plants directory — Fire and Emergency New Zealand (plant flammability testing at Lincoln University) · 2026 · original source Primary evidence Lab-tested lineage: lincoln-nz-tree

“Moderate/high flammability”

Moderate/high flammability classification. On FENZ's high-flammability environmental weeds list (2024 DOC list).

Mid-scale / conditional (1)

Eastern United States Fire Performance Plant Selector — USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area S&PF + state Firewise programs (WV, OH, PA, DE, DC, MD, NJ) · 2016-wayback · original source Primary evidence Keyed curation lineage: ufifas-srs-tree

“MODERATELY Firewise (2)”

Invasive seedling plants providing plenty of flammable material in non-cultivated sites.

Listed without a rating (12)

FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

12 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4250.26” · score 4250.26 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9838; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling spring. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 1519.96” · score 1519.96 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9839; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling summer. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4263.12” · score 4263.12 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9840; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling autumn. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 1206.93” · score 1206.93 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9841; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling winter. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4403.56” · score 4403.56 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9842; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling spring. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 1313.33” · score 1313.33 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9843; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling summer. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 4259.79” · score 4259.79 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9844; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling autumn. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “calorific value (kcal/kg): 2089.31” · score 2089.31 (FLAMITS — calorific value (kcal/kg))
  
  FLAMITS record 9845; Combustibility measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device calorimeter; site Nunez1996-1; sampling winter. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “flammability value: 3” · score 3 (FLAMITS — flammability value)
  
  FLAMITS record 9854; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Nunez1996-1; sampling spring. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “flammability value: 5” · score 5 (FLAMITS — flammability value)
  
  FLAMITS record 9863; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Nunez1996-1; sampling summer. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “flammability value: 4” · score 4 (FLAMITS — flammability value)
  
  FLAMITS record 9872; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Nunez1996-1; sampling autumn. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.
- “flammability value: 3” · score 3 (FLAMITS — flammability value)
  
  FLAMITS record 9881; Ignitability measurement; plant part litter; fuel all; predrying no; device epiradiator; site Nunez1996-1; sampling winter. Primary study Nunez1996: Nunez-Regueira, L., Anon, J. A. R., & Castineiras, J. P. (1996). Calorific values and flammability of forest species in Galicia. Coastal and hillside zones. Bioresource Technology, 57, 283-289.

Fire-resistant trees instead

Red oak
Quercus rubra

Basswood
Tilia americana

Red maple
Acer rubrum

Wild black cherry
Prunus serotina

White oak
Quercus alba

American beech
Fagus grandifolia

Fire-resistant trees listed above

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: USDA PLANTS · GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · ITIS

Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore maple). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/acer-pseudoplatanus/. Last verified 2026-08-23.