Family |
Platanaceae
Platanus orientalis
L.
Platanus orientalis L.
First published in Sp. Pl.: 999 (1753).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, pp. 192–193, Pl. XXXI, 4; 1970)
• Life-form & habit: Large tree reaching 30 m. In Mouterde's account, the bark flakes are relatively persistent, leaving a fairly uniform greyish trunk.
• Leaves: Alternate and palmately divided beyond the middle into five to seven lobes, each lobe more or less toothed along its edges. Leaf stalks expanded at the base.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Separate male and female flowers in spherical heads, arranged in groups of two to six along elongated, hanging stalks.
• Fruit: Dense spherical clusters of dry, indehiscent fruits, each surrounded at the base by long hairs.
• Phenology: Flowering February–March.
• Habitat & elevation: Banks of streams and rivers and the surroundings of springs; also planted.
• Lebanese distribution: Nahr Beirut, Nahr el Kalb, Nahr Ibrahim, Tripoli, Ehden forest, Qannoubine, Kfertay and Baskinta.
• Syrian distribution: Damascus, Houreire, Khan ej Joz between Jisr ech Choghour and Latakia, northwest of Qatma and Kizil Dagh.
• Native range: Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Sicilia, Transcaucasus, Türkiye.
• Introduced into: Afghanistan, Morocco, Pakistan, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye-in-Europe, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya.