Platanus

Thesaurus

Noun

Platanus - genus of large monoecious mostly deciduous trees: London plane; sycamoregenus Platanusrosid dicot genus - a genus of dicotyledonous plantsfamily Platanaceae, plane-tree family, Platanaceae - coextensive with the genus Platanus: plane treesplane tree, platan, sycamore - any of several trees of the genus Platanus having thin pale bark that scales off in small plates and lobed leaves and ball-shaped heads of fruitsLondon plane, Platanus acerifolia - very large fast-growing tree much planted as a street treeAmerican plane, American sycamore, buttonwood, Platanus occidentalis - very large spreading plane tree of eastern and central North America to Mexicooriental plane, Platanus orientalis - large tree of southeastern Europe to Asia MinorCalifornia sycamore, Platanus racemosa - tall tree of Baja California having deciduous bark and large alternate palmately lobed leaves and ball-shaped clusters of flowersArizona sycamore, Platanus wrightii - medium-sized tree of Arizona and adjacent regions having deeply lobed leaves and collective fruits in groups of 3 to 5

Platanus

sycamore

Very tall tree- up to 150 feet (50m), distinguished by it’s multi-colored peeling messy bark. Leaves look maple-like. Round 2 inch fruit. Inner bark used for lung, bowel, blood purification, laxative and to induce vomiting.

Platanus

(plane tree, or plane), a genus of tall deciduous trees of the family Platanaceae. The trees have a dense, broad crown and a massive, cylindrical trunk (up to 50 m high and 18 m in circumference) with greenish gray flaky bark. The alternate and palmately lobed leaves are on long stems. The small, unisexual flowers have a trimerous or tetramerous perianth and are in a dense capitate inflorescence. The heads may be solitary or gathered moniliformly or racemosely, with two to seven heads on each long peduncle. The fruit is an aggregate nut, which remains on the tree all winter and splits in the spring into individual nuts that are scattered by the wind.

There are approximately ten species of Platanus, distributed in North America (from Canada to Mexico) and from the eastern Mediterranean to Indochina. The tree grows quickly, especially when it is young; it has a life-span of 2,000 years or longer. The wood is lightweight, hard, and beautifully textured but decomposes easily. It is used to make veneers, parquet, and packing crates. Plane trees have long been grown in parks and gardens, on the streets of southern cities and settlements, by houses, and along roads.

In the USSR the Oriental plane (P. orientalis) is cultivated in the Caucasus, the Crimea, and Middle Asia. It grows wild in the Gissar Range. The American plane (P. occidentalis) is cultivated in the southern Ukraine and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. It grows wild in North America. The London plane (P. hybrida, or P. acerifolid), probably a hybrid of the Oriental and American planes, is cultivated in southern Byelorussia, in the Ukraine, in Transcaucasia, and in Middle Asia. Of the three species, it is the most frost resistant, the fastest growing, and the most easily propagated. Other Platanus species are occasionally cultivated.

REFERENCE

Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol. 3. Moscow-Leningrad, 1954.

V. N. GLADKOVA

Platanus

Related to Platanus: Platanus orientalis, Platanus racemosa

noun

Synonyms for Platanus

noun genus of large monoecious mostly deciduous trees: London plane

Synonyms

genus Platanus

Related Words

rosid dicot genus
family Platanaceae
plane-tree family
Platanaceae
plane tree
platan
sycamore
London plane
Platanus acerifolia
American plane
American sycamore
buttonwood
Platanus occidentalis
oriental plane
Platanus orientalis
California sycamore
Platanus racemosa
Arizona sycamore
Platanus wrightii