Platanus

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Platanus

Platanus is a small genus of tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s native to the Northern Hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
. They are the sole members of the family Platanaceae
Platanaceae

Platanaceae is a family of flowering plants. It has been recognized by almost all taxonomists, and is sometimes called the "plane-tree family"....
.

They are all large trees to 30–50 m tall, deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
(except for P. kerrii), and are mostly found in riparian or other wetland

Wetland

File:Mangrove trees in Everglades.JPGA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water....
habitats

Habitat (ecology)

A habitat is an ecological or Natural_environment area that is inhabited by a particular animal or plant species. It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a species population....
in the wild, though proving drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation ....
tolerant in cultivation away from streams. The hybrid London Plane

London Plane

The 'London Plane' or 'Hybrid Plane' is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a Hybrid of the Platanus orientalis, P....
has proved particularly tolerant of urban conditions.

They are known as planes in Europe, and as sycamores in North America.

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Encyclopedia

Platanus is a small genus of tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s native to the Northern Hemisphere

Northern Hemisphere

Deciduous

Wetland

Habitat (ecology)

Drought

London Plane

Sycamore

Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms.* Ficus sycomorus, the sycamore of the Bible; a species of fig, also called the "sycamore fig" or "fig-mulberry", native to the Middle East and eastern Africa...
" refers to either the fig

FIG

FIG may refer to:* F?d?ration Internationale de Gymnastique* International Federation of Surveyors...
Ficus sycomorus
Ficus sycomorus

Ficus sycomorus, called the sycamore fig or the fig-mulberry , sycamore, or sycomore, is a fig species that has been cultivated since early times....
, the plant originally so named, or the Great, or Sycamore Maple, Acer pseudoplatanus.)

Natural history

The flowers are reduced and are borne in balls (globose head); 3–7 hairy sepal

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Sepals in a "typical" flower are green and lie under the more conspicuous petals. As a collective unit the sepals are called the Wiktionary:calyx, and the collection of petals is called the Wiktionary:corolla....
s may be fused at base, and the petals are 3–7 (or no) and spathulate. Male and female flowers are separate, but on the same plant (monoecious). The number of heads in one cluster (inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches....
) is indicative of the species (see table below). The male flower has with 3–8 stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs, called sporangium....
s; the female has a superior ovary with 3–7 carpels. Plane trees are wind-pollinated. Male balls fall off the branch after shedding their pollen. The female flowers, on the other hand, remain attached to the branch firmly. After being pollinated, the female flowers become achene

Achene

An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are "monocarpellate" and wikt:indehiscent . Achenes contain a single seed that nearly fills the pericarp, but does not adhere to it....
s that aggregate on the ball. 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 2.5–4 cm in diameter and contains several hundred achenes, each of which has a single seed and is conical, with the point attached downward to the net at the surface of the ball. There is also a tuft of many thin stiff yellow-green bristle fibers attached to the base of each achene. These bristles help in wind dispersion of the fruits like dandelion.

The mature bark peels (exfoliates) off easily in irregularly shaped patches, producing a mottled, scaly appearance. Very old bark may not flake off, but can crack instead. The base of the leaf stalk (petiole) is enlarged and completely wraps around the young stem bud in its axil. The bud will be exposed only after the leaf falls off.

Cultural history

Most significant aspects of cultural history apply to Platanus orientalis in the Old World.

Phylogeny

There are two subgenera, subgenus Castaneophyllum containing the anomalous P. kerrii, and subgenus Platanus, with all the others; recent studies in Mexico have increased the number of accepted species in this subgenus. Within subgenus Platanus, genetic evidence suggests that P. racemosa is more closely related to P. orientalis than it is to the other North American species. There are fossil records of plane trees as early as 115 million years (the Lower Cretaceous). Despite the geographic separation between North America and Europe, species from these continents will cross readily resulting in fertile hybrids such as the London Plane.

Species

The following are recognized species of plane trees:

Scientific name	Common name	Distribution	flowerheads	Notes
Platanus chiapensis	Chiapas Plane	southeast Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	?	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus gentryi	Gentry's Plane	western Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	?	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus × hispanica (P. occidentalis × P. orientalis; syn. P. × acerifolia, P. × hybrida)	London Plane, Hybrid Plane	Cultivated origin	1-6	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus kerrii	Kerr's Plane	Laos Laos Laos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west.... , Vietnam Vietnam Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....	10-12	Subgenus Castaneophyllum
Platanus mexicana	Mexican Plane	northeast and central Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	2-4	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus oaxacana	Oaxaca Plane	southern Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	?	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus occidentalis	American Sycamore, American Plane, Buttonwood, Occidental Plane	eastern North America North America North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....	1-2	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus orientalis	Oriental Plane	southeast Europe Europe Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast.... , southwest Asia Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....	3-6	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus racemosa	California Sycamore, Western Sycamore, Aliso	California California California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....	3-7	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus rzedowskii	Rzedowski's Plane	eastern Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	?	Subgenus Platanus
Platanus wrightii	Arizona Sycamore	Arizona Arizona The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona.... , New Mexico New Mexico New Mexico is a U. S. State located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. Inhabited by Native Americans in the United States populations for many centuries, it has also has been part of the Spanish Empire viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S.... , northwest Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....	2-4	Subgenus Platanus

Diseases

Planes are susceptible to Plane Anthracnose (Apiognomonia veneta), a fungal

Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
disease

Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
that can defoliate the trees in some years. The worst infections are associated with cold, wet spring weather. P. occidentalis and the other American species are the most susceptible, with P. orientalis the most resistant. The hybrid London Plane is intermediate in resistance. Other diseases such as powdery mildew

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungus disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of fungi in the order Erysiphales....
occur frequently, but are of lesser importance. Platanus species are used as food plants by the larva

Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
species including Phyllonorycter platani
Phyllonorycter platani

Phyllonorycter platani is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Europe and the Near East.The wingspan is 8-10 mm. The moth flies in two generations from mid June to November....
and Setaceous Hebrew Character

Setaceous Hebrew Character

The Setaceous Hebrew Character is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common species throughout Europe.The forewings of this species are reddish brown with distinctive patterning towards the base: a black mark resembling the Hebrew language letter Nun : ? with a pale cream coloure...
.

External links

, abstract of article by Sandra K. Floyd et al. in American Journal of Botany, 1999;86:1523-1537.