# Platanus orientalis

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{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{redirects here|Chinar|other uses|Chinar (disambiguation)}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Plane tree Grove Tsav River.jpg
| image_caption = Natural forest of ''Platanus orientalis'' in Armenia
| status = DD
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="Barstow-2017">{{cite iucn |author=Barstow, M. |author2=Rivers, M.C. |date=2017 |title=''Platanus orientalis'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T33951A68135880 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T33951A68135880.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Platanus
| species = orientalis
| authority = [L.](/source/Carl_Linnaeus)
| range_map = Platanus orientalis range.svg
| range_map_caption = Distribution map
}}

'''''Platanus orientalis''''', the '''Oriental plane''',<ref name="BSBI-2007">{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}}</ref> is a large, [deciduous](/source/deciduous) [tree](/source/tree) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Platanaceae](/source/Platanaceae), growing to {{convert|30|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} or more,<ref name="RHS A-Zencyclo-2008">{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1-4053-3296-5|pages=1136}}</ref> and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn, its deep green leaves may change to blood red, amber, and yellow.

==Etymology==
The species name ''orientalis'' means 'eastern' (in comparison, the 'western' plane (or American sycamore), the only other species known to Linnaeus, is named ''[Platanus occidentalis](/source/Platanus_occidentalis)''). The tree was called ''platane'' in ancient Greek history and literature and by related names in continental Europe. It is also well known in Asia from [Anatolia](/source/Anatolia) to [India](/source/India), where usually called ''chinar'' or ''chenar''.

==Range==
The [native](/source/native_plant) distribution is from [Italy](/source/Italy) east through the Balkans, Turkey, and the [Caucasus](/source/Caucasus) to [Iran](/source/Iran).<ref name="POWO">{{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |author-link1=Plants of the World Online |id=685873-1 |title=''Platanus orientalis'' L. |access-date=8 August 2024 }}</ref> As it has been known in cultivation from early times in much of this region it can be difficult to determine if it is truly indigenous in peripheral areas.

==Description==
[[File:Източен чинар – лист (силует).svg|thumb|Leaf [sillouette](/source/sillouette)]]
thumb|Fruit and leaves of Oriental plane
The oriental plane is found naturally in riverine settings, together with such trees as [alder](/source/alder), [willow](/source/willow) and [poplar](/source/Populus).<!--from Rodwell and Dring, in English Nature Research Reports, no. 460, European significance of British woodland types. --> However, it is quite capable of survival and success in dry soils once it is established. It can grow into a massive tree with many examples hundreds of years old. Around ten trees are known from the past and present with a diameter of {{Convert|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} or more, with several specimens around {{Convert|100|m3|abbr=on}} in total volume.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oriental Planes (Platanus orientalis) worldwide |url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/world-orientalplane/ |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=MonumentalTrees.com}}</ref> A specimen in Ghirmizi Bazar, [Karabakh](/source/Karabakh), Republic of Azerbaijan is said to have a [DBH](/source/Diameter_at_breast_height) of {{convert|5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}, with a [girth](/source/Tree_girth_measurement) of {{convert|15.71|m|ft|2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |last=anonymous |date= |title=Monumental Trees -The Thickest Trees Worldwide |url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/girthrecords/ |access-date=February 15, 2018}}</ref>

Like other [plane trees](/source/Platanus), its leaves are borne alternately on the stem, deeply lobed, and [palmate](/source/palmate) or [maple](/source/maple)-like. It usually has flaking bark, occasionally not flaking and becoming thick and rugged.  Flowers and fruit are round and burr-like, borne in clusters of between two and six on a stem. Considerable variation exists among trees in the wild, and this may be complicated by crossbreeding with planted [London plane](/source/London_plane)s (''Platanus × hispanica''), the [hybrid](/source/Hybrid_(biology)) of ''P.&nbsp;orientalis'' with the [American sycamore](/source/American_sycamore) (''Platanus occidentalis'').

==Cultivation==
The tree is capable of being grown in most temperate latitudes, though it benefits greatly from warm summers. As a very large and wide tree with broad, thick leaves that tend to orient horizontally, it is especially prized for the shade and coolness it provides during the hot season.

It grows best in rich soil in a sunny location<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Platanus+orientalis|title=Platanus orientalis Oriental Plane, Oriental planetree PFAF Plant Database|website=pfaf.org|access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref> and can survive drought well, although young plants appreciate regular watering.

==Other uses==
The leaves and bark have been used medicinally. A fabric dye has been made from the twigs and roots. The [timber](/source/timber), often called '''[lacewood](/source/Lacewood)''', is figured and valuable for indoor furniture.  The leaves are also often used by artists for [leaf carving](/source/leaf_carving).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/incredible-artwork-hand-carved-from-leaves-2011-8|title=Incredible Artwork Hand-Carved From Leaves|author=Dina Spector|date=August 18, 2011|publisher=Business Insider|access-date=May 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/leaf-carving-artists-branching-out_n_925700.html|title=Leaf Carving Artists In China Branching Out Into Pop Culture|publisher=Huffington Post|author=David Moye|date=August 16, 2011|access-date=May 30, 2016}}</ref>

==Cultural history==

===Iran===
[[File:Abbasabad, Tehran, Tehran, Iran - panoramio - Behrooz Rezvani (37).jpg|thumb|Around 18,000 plane trees had been planted in [Valiasr Street](/source/Valiasr_Street), [Tehran](/source/Tehran).]]
Many plane trees in Iran are of historical importance and have been designated as cultural heritage. One such example is the plane tree of [Osku](/source/Osku), estimated to be 1,200 years old.<ref>[:File:Chenar Tree Oskoo.jpg](/source/%3AFile%3AChenar_Tree_Oskoo.jpg)</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://mehrnews.com/xh73B | title=ثبت ملی چنار 1200 ساله اسکو / لزوم حفاظت از درختان کهنسال | date=23 February 2012 }}</ref>
The capital [Tehran](/source/Tehran) used to be famous for its numerous oriental plane trees. ''Platanus orientalis'' is still one of the main ornamental trees in [Tehran](/source/Tehran).

===Greece===
[[File:Plane tree of Hippocrates.jpg|thumb|The "Tree of Hippocrates" in [Kos, Greece](/source/Kos%2C_Greece), possibly a descendant of the original]]

The [Tree of Hippocrates](/source/Tree_of_Hippocrates), under which Hippocrates—the "Father of Medicine"—taught at [Kos](/source/Kos), is reputed to have been an oriental plane. A 500-year-old tree presently there may be on the same site and may have been planted from a succession of cuttings from the original. The [Athenian Academy](/source/Platonic_Academy), outside Athens, featured a [sacred grove](/source/sacred_grove) of planes where the students listened to the masters and where, among others, the [Peripatetics](/source/Peripatetics) practised philosophy.

Many villages in Greece feature plane trees in their main squares, frequently found alongside them are water springs that in the past would serve as the main water source for the villagers; usually these are quite old trees with their age seen as a point of pride for the local inhabitants. Occasionally, the oldest trees exhibit partially hollowed-out trunks, with cavities large enough to provide amusement opportunities for local or visiting children and teenagers, and even, in one [occasion](/source/Loutraki%2C_Aetolia-Akarnania), to serve (along with the rest of the tree) as a tourist attraction, or at least, in one [occasion](/source/Loutraki%2C_Aetolia-Akarnania), as a shrine.

===Rome===
[Pliny](/source/Pliny_the_Elder)'s ''[Natural History](/source/Pliny's_Natural_History)''<ref>XII.3.</ref> records the westward progress of the plane "introduced among us from a foreign clime for nothing but its shade", planted first at the tomb of Diomedes on the island of Tremiti, then imported to Greek Sicily by [Dionysius the Elder](/source/Dionysius_the_Elder) (c. 432–367 BC), tyrant of Syracuse. He had plane-trees conveyed to the city of [Rhegium](/source/Rhegium) (Reggio di Calabria), where they were looked upon as the great marvel of his palace, according to Pliny's sources. From there, it spread by the first century AD as far as the lands of the [Morini](/source/Morini) in Belgic Gaul. Regardless of why it may have been introduced, the tree had medicinal uses from early times. Pliny<ref>XXIV.29</ref> details 25 remedies using preparation from the bark, leaves and excrescences of the plane. Pliny prescribes it for burns, bites, stings, frostbite and infections.

Pliny goes on to describe some legendary plane trees.<ref>XII.5</ref> There was one on the grounds of the Athenian Academy, he says, that had roots {{convert|50|ft|m}} long. [Licinius Mucianus](/source/Licinius_Mucianus) held a banquet for 19 in a hollow plane-tree of Lycia, and the emperor [Caligula](/source/Caligula) another for 15 plus servants in a tree house (nest) built in the branches of a plane-tree at [Velletri](/source/Velletri).

===India===
[[File:Char Chinar.jpg|thumb|Famous [Char Chinar](/source/Char_Chinar) island containing four chinar trees on [Dal Lake](/source/Dal_Lake) in [Srinagar](/source/Srinagar), [Jammu and Kashmir](/source/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(union_territory)), India]]

The ''chinar'' tree can be found throughout the landscape of the [Kashmir Valley](/source/Kashmir_Valley) in the Indian [western Himalayas](/source/western_Himalayas), planted across hillsides and cities, and is seen as a symbol for the region, locally known as {{lang|ks|𑆧𑆷𑆤𑇀𑆪𑇀 / बून्य / بوٗنؠ}} ''(Būn')'' in [Kashmiri](/source/Kashmiri_language) and ''chinar'' in [Hindustani](/source/Hindustani_language).<ref>{{Cite web|title=[9]|url=http://jktourism.org/index.php/chinar|date=May 19, 2020|website=Official Website of Jammu & Kashmir Tourism}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaul |first=Prof Upendra |date=2023-08-23 |title=Chinar: The Heritage Tree of Kashmir |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/opinion/chinar-the-heritage-tree-of-kashmir/#:~:text=7:17%20am-,Chinar,%20Bouin%20to%20us%20in%20Kashmiri,%20is%20a%20large%20deciduous,as%20early%20as%201400%20BC. |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Greater Kashmir |language=en-US}}</ref> Excavations from the [Burzahom archaeological site](/source/Burzahom_archaeological_site) have revealed charcoal remains of the tree from the Neolithic period.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lone |first=Abdul Rashid |title=Prehistoric Archaeology of Kashmir: An Overview|url=https://www.sahapedia.org/prehistoric-archaeology-of-kashmir-overview |work=[Sahapedia](/source/Sahapedia)}}</ref> While [Kashmiri Muslims](/source/Kashmiri_Muslims) believe that the ''chinar'' was brought to [Kashmir valley](/source/Kashmir_valley) by Islamic preachers from [Iran](/source/Iran) in 14th century CE, on the other hand, [Kashmiri Hindus](/source/Kashmiri_Hindus) hold the view that the tree was traditionally planted near [Hindu holy places](/source/Hindu_pilgrimage_sites_in_India) in Kashmir and is associated with [Hindu goddess](/source/Hindu_deities) [Bhavani](/source/Bhavani), from whom it derives its Kashmiri name ''bouin'' or ''booni''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Chinar Tree, "Bouin" of Kashmir- Symbol of Goddess Bhawani|first=Pran Nath|last=Wanchoo|url=http://vitasta.org/2002/1.8.html|journal=Vitasta|volume=XXXV|date=2001–2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205024600/http://vitasta.org/2002/1.8.html|archive-date=2006-12-05}}</ref>

After the advent of [Muslim rule](/source/Islam_in_Kashmir), especially under the [Mughals](/source/Mughal_Empire), ''chinar'' became a major garden and landscape tree, and dominates many historic gardens. The tree known for its elegance and exuberance has remained an attraction for artists and litterateurs. One tree believed to be planted in 1374''&nbsp;''CE at the [Chattergam](/source/Chattergam) village by an Islamic mystic, Syed Abul Qaim Hamadani, who accompanied [Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani](/source/Mir_Sayyid_Ali_Hamadani) from [Iran](/source/Iran) to [Kashmir](/source/Kashmir), is believed by many in Kashmir to be the world's oldest surviving chinar tree.<ref>{{cite web|title=627-year-old living legend found in Kashmir|url=http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=128596|author=Rajesh Bhat|date=2007-12-24|work=Merinews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mooney-Singh|first=Chris|date=2014|title=Pantun of the Chinar Grove (Sri Nagar, Kashmir)|journal=Manoa|volume=26|issue=1|pages=68–69|doi=10.1353/man.2014.0024|s2cid=143772200|issn=1527-943X}}</ref> Planting of chinar trees in Kashmir was greatly patronised by the Mughals, and later by [Dogra rulers](/source/Dogra_Dynasty).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2013/sunday-edition/symbol-of-paradise.html|title=Symbol of Paradise|date=16 June 2013|publisher=[Daily Pioneer](/source/Daily_Pioneer)}}</ref> Dogra Maharaja [Hari Singh](/source/Hari_Singh) is believed to have gifted five chinar trees to [Shimla](/source/Shimla), then summer capital of [British India](/source/British_Raj), in present-day [Himachal Pradesh](/source/Himachal_Pradesh).<ref name=ShimlaOL>{{cite web |last=Sharma |first=Ashwani |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/think-of-shimla-think-of-chinar-deodars |title=Think Of Shimla, Think Of Chinar, Deodars |date=8 September 2024 |work=Outlook }}</ref> These, and other chinars planted later in the hill station, have become part of the city's lore.<ref name=ShimlaOL/><ref>{{cite web |last=Dhaleta |first=Surekha |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/shimlas-chinar-lore/articleshow/8906838.cms# |title=Shimla's chinar lore |date=June 19, 2011 |work=The Times of India }}</ref>

Chinar trees are being felled rapidly in Kashmir,<ref>{{cite web|title=Climate|url=http://anantnag.gov.in/climate.htm|publisher=Official Website of Anantag District|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20090313062145/http://anantnag.gov.in/climate.htm|archive-date=2009-03-13}}</ref> although a ban was enacted in 2009 to curb cutting.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ban on cutting Chinar trees in Kashmir|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ban-on-cutting-Chinar-trees-in-Kashmir/articleshow/4227201.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024131601/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-03-05/india/28054456_1_trees-kashmir-ban|url-status=live|archive-date=24 October 2012|journal=[The Times of India](/source/The_Times_of_India)|date=5 March 2009}}</ref> Chinar trees are now required to be registered, considered a state property, and painted white at their base.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiagardening.com/garden-ideas/where-do-chinar-trees-grow-in-india/|title=Where Do Chinar Trees Grow In India|date=2019-10-25|website=India Gardening|language=en|access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref> [Naseem Bagh](/source/Naseem_Bagh), a [Mughal garden](/source/Mughal_garden) near [Srinagar](/source/Srinagar) with over 700 chinar trees has been developed as a Chinar Heritage Park by the [University of Kashmir](/source/University_of_Kashmir).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nasim Bagh|url=https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/nasim_bagh|access-date=2020-10-21|website=www.gardenvisit.com}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
In 2011, a specimen planted by [Capability Brown](/source/Capability_Brown) at [Corsham Court](/source/Corsham_Court) in Wiltshire was identified by [The Tree Register of the British Isles](/source/The_Tree_Register) as the tree with the greatest known spread in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-13682775|title=Corsham Court Oriental plane 'most spreading tree in UK'|work=BBC News|date=2011-07-06|access-date=2011-07-06}}</ref>

An example dating to at least 1762 is one of [Kew Gardens](/source/Kew_Gardens)' thirteen 'Heritage Trees'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/gbr/england/cityoflondon/965_royalbotanicgardens/9199/|title=Oriental plane in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, United Kingdom|website=monumentaltrees.com|access-date=7 September 2018}}</ref>

The Pococke Garden at [Christ Church, Oxford](/source/Christ_Church%2C_Oxford) contains a specimen, known as The Pococke Tree, which is understood to have been planted by [Edward Pococke](/source/Edward_Pococke) from seed he collected in 1636 from [Aleppo](/source/Aleppo). With a girth of around {{Convert|9|m|ft|abbr=}} it is the oldest in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pococke Garden |url=https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/pococke-garden |website=Christ Church |access-date=23 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Christ Church College's Hidden Gardens |journal=OX Magazine |url=https://www.oxmag.co.uk/articles/christ-church-collegeandrsquos-hidden-gardens/ |access-date=23 August 2022}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
A plane tree is the main theme in the aria [Ombra mai fu](/source/Ombra_mai_fu) composed by [George Frideric Handel](/source/George_Frideric_Handel), in which the main character, [Xerxes''&nbsp;''I of Persia](/source/Xerxes_I_of_Persia), admires the shade of a plane tree. 

The Chinar leaf is considered a national symbol in [Azad Jammu and Kashmir](/source/Azad_Kashmir). The [government seal](/source/%3AFile%3AAzadKashmirSeal.png) continues to include the leaf. Many universities, including the [University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir](/source/University_of_Azad_Jammu_%26_Kashmir), also include the symbol. 

It is the [State tree](/source/List_of_Indian_state_trees) of the Indian [union territory](/source/union_territory) of [Jammu and Kashmir](/source/Jammu_and_Kashmir_(union_territory)).<ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity Elements - States Ut Symbol G L |url=https://knowindia.gov.in/national-identity-elements/states-ut-symbol-g-l.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908171111/http://knowindia.gov.in/national-identity-elements/states-ut-symbol-g-l.php |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |website=[Know India](/source/Know_India)}}</ref> During the [2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony](/source/2010_Commonwealth_Games_opening_ceremony), held in India, the chinar tree was featured prominently in the 'tree of knowledge' segment of the ceremony. The [Chinar Corps](/source/XV_Corps_(India)) of the [Indian Army](/source/Indian_Army) is also named after the tree, and the tree's leaf appears on the sign of the corps.

The Pococke Tree in the Pococke Garden at [Christ Church](/source/Christ_Church%2C_Oxford) is thought to be the inspiration for the Tumtum tree in Lewis Carol's poem [Jabberwocky](/source/Jabberwocky).<ref>{{cite web |title=Alice in Gardenland |url=https://thegardenstrust.blog/2021/03/20/alice-in-gardenland/ |website=The Gardens Trust blog |date=20 March 2021 |publisher=[The Gardens Trust](/source/The_Gardens_Trust) |access-date=23 August 2022}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Platanus orientalis foliage Partenit.jpg|Foliage
File:Bursa016.jpg|[Bursa](/source/Bursa), Turkey
File:Platanus orientalis 1bJPG.jpg|Cambron-Casteau Park, [Belgium](/source/Belgium)
File:Kashmir University.jpg|Chinars at the [Kashmir University](/source/Kashmir_University) in [Srinagar](/source/Srinagar), Jammu and Kashmir during autumn
File:Leaf Of Platanus Orientalis .jpg|Leaf of ''Platanus orientalis'' in Kashmir
File:TRSTENO ORIENTAL PLANE TREE, CROATIA.jpg|alt=|The Tresteno Plane, 3.8 m in diameter at breast height, one of the largest volume oriental plane trees
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Platanus orientalis}}
*[https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Platanus+orientalis Plants for a Future]
*[https://www.aranya.co.uk/planes/text/orientalis.html Platanus orientalis]
*[http://www.euforgen.org/species/platanus-orientalis/ ''Platanus orientalis''] – information, genetic conservation units and related resources. [European Forest Genetic Resources Programme](/source/European_Forest_Genetic_Resources_Programme) (EUFORGEN) 

{{Taxonbar|from=Q161105}}

orientalis
Category:Flora of temperate Asia
Category:Trees of Asia
Category:Trees of Europe
Category:Trees of Western Asia
Category:Trees of Central Asia
Category:Flora of the Levant
Category:Trees of the Indian subcontinent
Category:Flora of the Mediterranean basin
Category:Garden plants of Asia
Category:Garden plants of Europe
Category:Ornamental trees
Category:Data deficient plants
Category:Plants described in 1753
Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Category:Flora of Turkey
Category:Trees of Turkey
Category:Flora of Azerbaijan
Category:Trees of Azerbaijan
Category:Flora of Bulgaria
Category:Flora of Armenia
Category:Flora of Kurdistan
Category:Flora of Albania
Category:Flora of Afghanistan
Category:Trees of Afghanistan
Category:Flora of Jordan
Category:Flora of Italy
Category:Endemic flora of Sicily
Category:Flora of Israel
Category:Flora of Palestine (region)
Category:Flora of Iraq
Category:Flora of Iran
Category:Flora of India
Category:Trees of India
Category:Flora of West Himalaya
Category:Flora of Greece
Category:Flora of Cyprus
Category:Flora of Pakistan
Category:Trees of Pakistan
Category:Flora of North Macedonia
Category:Flora of Lebanon
Category:Flora of Tajikistan
Category:Flora of Uzbekistan
Category:Flora of Syria
Category:Flora of Lebanon and Syria
Category:Flora of the Palearctic realm

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Platanus orientalis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_orientalis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_orientalis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.