Platanus

Platanus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous – Present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Leaves and fruit of a London plane
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Platanaceae
Genus:	Platanus L.
Species
See text

Platanus (/ˈplætənəs/ PLAT-ən-əss^[1]) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae.

All mature members of Platanus are tall, reaching 30–50 m (98–164 ft) in height. All except for P. kerrii are deciduous, and most are found in riparian or other wetland habitats in the wild, though proving drought-tolerant in cultivation. The hybrid London plane (Platanus × acerifolia) has proved particularly tolerant of urban conditions, and has been widely planted in London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom and Europe.

They are often known in English as planes or plane trees. A formerly used name that is now rare is plantain tree (not to be confused with other, unrelated, species with the name).^[2] Some North American species are called sycamores (especially Platanus occidentalis),^[3] although the term is also used for several unrelated species of trees. The genus name Platanus comes from Ancient Greek πλάτανος, which referred to Platanus orientalis.^[4]