The genus Platanus are known as Planes in Britain and Australia, and as Sycamores in North America. (In the U.K., by contrast, "sycamore" generally refers to the Sycamore Maple, Acer pseudoplatanus). They are the sole members of the family Platanaceae. They are all large trees to 30-40m tall, and are mostly found in riparian or other wetland habitats in the wild, though proving drought tolerant in cultivation away from streams.
- Platanus kerrii or Kerr's Plane is a somewhat anomalous species, native to Southeast Asia, and differs from the other species in having an unlobed leaf, and in the leaf stem not enclosing the axillary bud at its base.
- Platanus mexicana or Mexican plane is found in northeastern and central Mexico.
- Platanus orientalis is the Oriental plane, of southeast Europe and southwest Asia.
- Platanus occidentalis is the American sycamore, American plane or Buttonwood is native to northeast North America.
- Platanus racemosa or California sycamore is found in California.
- Platanus wrightii or Arizona sycamore is found in Arizona, New Mexico and northwestern Mexico.
- The hybrid Platanus x hispanica (P. occidentalis x P. orientalis; a.k.a. P. x acerifolia) is the London plane, commonly planted in parks and along streets in most cities with warmer temperate climates. Having proved its city-hardiness in London's 19th-century industrial coal smoke, ironically it may be less tolerant of traffic fumes; in some areas it is proving to be susceptible to anthracnose.
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.
Leaves and fruit of a London plane
Under the Cronquist system, Platanus was placed in the Order Hamamelidales. Newer systems place it among the Proteales.
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