plane tree, any of the 10 species of the genus Platanus, the only genus of the family Platanaceae. These large trees are native in North America, eastern Europe, and Asia and are characterized by scaling bark; large, deciduous, usually palmately lobed leaves; and globose heads of flower and seed. The plane trees bear flowers of both sexes on the same tree but in different clusters. The sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), often called sycamore, plane, or mock plane, is distinct (see maple).
The American plane tree, or sycamore (P. occidentalis), also known as buttonwood, buttonball, or whitewood, is the tallest, sometimes reaching a height of more than 50 m (160 feet). Its pendent, smooth, ball-shaped seed clusters usually dangle singly and often persist after leaf fall. Native from southeastern Europe to India, the Oriental plane (P. orientalis) reaches 30 m (100 feet) with huge, often squat boles—some measuring nearly 10 m in circumference (about 10 feet in diameter). Its bristly seedballs hang in clusters of two to six. The London plane (P. acerifolia), a hybrid between the American and the Oriental planes, combines characteristics of both in varying degrees. It is a little shorter and more squat than the American tree and usually has bristly, paired seedballs. There are variegated forms of London plane. The California sycamore (P. racemosa), about 25 m (80 feet) tall, has contorted branches, thick leaves, and bristly seedballs in groups of two to seven.
The London plane is planted widely in cities for its resistance to air pollution and to diseases that more readily affect other plane trees. All planes grow rapidly and furnish quick shade. Many are picturesque in winter for their patchy bark: as the outer bark flakes off, inner bark shows up in shades of white, gray, green, and yellow.