The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Platanus orientalis

Etymology

orientalis: From the Latin orientale, meaning 'eastern' but sometimes also translated as 'from the Orient'.

Common Name(s)

oriental plane

Authority

Platanus orientalis L.

Family

Platanaceae

Brief Description

Large deciduous tree with usually peeling bark in small flakes (cf. London plane which has larger flakes), sometimes becoming thick and rugged; leaves 5-7 lobed, the lobes being narrower and deeper than in London plane; monoecious. London plane (P.X acerifolia) has P. orientalis as one parent and has leaves less deeply lobed than in P. orientalis, and 5-lobed cf. 5-7 lobes. London plane has seed balls typically two [(1)-2-(4)] per stem cf. 3-6 in P. orientalis.

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

A number of cultivars are available in NZ, the most common being 'Autumn Glory' increasingly used to replace London Planes as a street tree.

Distribution

Planted in NZ since at least 1870 (https://www.ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Parks-Gardens/Christchurch-Botanic-Gardens/BotanicGardensWalkingGuide.pdf)

Flower Colours

Green

Year Naturalised

2010

Origin

South-east Europe to South-west Asia

Reason for Introduction

Ornamental; shade

This page last updated on 14 Oct 2016