Platanus
| Sycamore / Plane tree | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||
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P. X acerifolia (London plane, hybrid)
P. occidentalis (American sycamore) P. orientalis (Oriental plane) P. racemosa (Western sycamore) P. wrightii (Arizona sycamore) |
Trees of the genus Platanus are known as Sycamores in North America, and as Planes in England and Australia. They are the sole member of the family Platanaceae.
The Oriental plane, of southern Europe and Western Asia is a large forest tree. The North American sycamores are wetland and riparian trees. Several North American species can grow to great size.
The London plane tree, a hybrid, is commonly planted in parks and along streets in most cities with warmer temperate climates.
The seeds of the trees are borne in balls. Typically, the core of the ball is 1 cm in diameter and is covered with a net of mesh 1 mm, which can be peeled off. The ball is 3 cm in diameter and contains several hundred seeds, each of which is conical, with the point attached to the net, and has many thin stiff yellow-green fibers attached to the point.
Under the Cronquist system, Platanus was placed in the order Hamamelidales. Newer systems place it among the Proteales.
