plane tree

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plane tree

plane tree sycamore, or buttonwood, any species of the genus Platanus, deciduous trees of most temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, exclusive of Africa. The hairy, dry, seedlike fruits are densely packed into a hard brown ball, hence the name buttonwood. The large American sycamore, or plane ( P. occidentalis ), supplies a hardwood popular for carpentry, furniture, and butchers' blocks. The Oriental plane ( P. orientalis ) of the Mediterranean area and W Asia is used for wood pulp. The London plane ( P. acerifolia ), sometimes miscalled Oriental plane, is much planted as an ornamental shade tree in cities; it is probably a hybrid of the American and Oriental planes. Sycamore is sometimes spelled sycomore, but should not be confused with the unrelated sycomore fig ( Ficus sycomorus ) of the family Moraceae. Plane trees are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Hamamelidales, family Platanaceae.

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plane

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

plane1 tree of the genus Platanus. XIV. — (O)F.:— L. platanus — Gr. plátanos, f. stem of platús broad.

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T. F. HOAD. "plane." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "plane." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 22, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-plane.html

T. F. HOAD. "plane." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 22, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-plane.html

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