1756. !’■ orientàlis.
. „ J , -ierAf; te c r i? rT c l? lh em ‘selves’horizontuUy to a considerable distance, to bend
riarifullv towards the ground, and turn up at their extremities. The pecnlnu
?harac e L d r o f the t?ee, indeed, is the combination which .t presents of
nriiestvand gracefulness; an expression which is produced by the massive,
and V? open and varied character of its liead, the bending of its brandies,
Z d their feathering to the ground. In this respect it is greatly supermr 0
the lime tree which comes nearest to it m tbe general character of the head,
but which foi’ms a much more compact and lumpish mass of foliage m summer,
t e l in Win?r, is so crowded with branches and spray, Pre;“ ? / ;
areat measure the sun from penetrating through them. The head ot tlie
d t e r e e tulrin" sunshine, often abounds in what painte.-s call flickering
t h t s th? conseVence of the branches of the head separating themse ves
i r t n t e t e te
te sá te te te : tentetei!terte?0g
t e ■
t e s e s and buildings. For the latter purpose it is particularly well adap ed
even in winter, from the colour of the bark of tne trunk, w h i c h has a
white tint not unlike the hue of some kinds of freestone. The colour ol
The foliage in dry soil, is also of a dull greyish green ; w h i c h , rece.wngth
light in numerous horizontal tiiftings, readily harmonises with he t.
of stonewalls. It appears, also, not to be much injured by smoke, since
there are trees of it of very considerable size ra the very heart of London.
T lte tT e e p free soil, mriist, but not wet at bottom is that on which th
Orienlil plane tree thrives best; and the situation should be sheltered, bu , at
the s am e te e , not shaded or crowded by other trees, . y . « ' ® ® ^ e ^
in strong clays, and on elevated exposed places ; nor will it thiive i"
where the lime tree does not prosper. The plane tree may P™P^f“
by seeds layers, or cuttings. The seeds should be gathered ra ,
November ! and, the balls being broken by the hand, or by threshing wffii.^
flail, the seeds may be separated from theiv husta, and cleaned by t ^
processes; and either sown immediately, or mixed with sand OT fine sa J
L il and preserved in a place secure from frost till February or Mai ch.
L X X I i l . / î a l s a m a ' c e æ . 9;3I
seeds may also be kept 111 the balls, or catkins, till spring ; either by allowino-
them to hang on the tree or by gathering them in autumn, and spreadinS
them out in a dry loft. Tlie general practice is to sow the seeds in autumn
or as soon as gathered, or received from the Continent; choosing a moist
rich soil, and a .shady situation, and covering them as ligiitly as those of the
birch or alder are covered, or beating them in with the back 'of the spade, and
not covering them at all ; and protecting the bed.s with litter of some sort, to
exclude the frost. The plants will come up the following spring.
Ï 2. P. OCCIDENTA'LIS i . Th e We stern Plane.
/« S i c o iio » . Lin. Hort. Cliff., 78. ; Willd. .Sp, Pl., 4. 475. ; N .D u Ilam . , 2 p 5
S ym ym c s P . occidentàlis seu virglolénsis Park. Theatr. 1427.. D u Hc.m. A r i. t 35 ■ Button
wood. Water Beech, Sycamore, Cotton Tree, Amer. ; Platane de Virginio Pr ’
Derwatton. Button-wood refers to the smooth round heads of Iiowers, Shich rosemble flie elolmlsr
hnttOhs formerly m use, aud stlil seen in some military costumes ; Smamme to t“ e rosemblauee S
iro'm'toieaVo“ “ ' 1 8h<i Cotton Tre e to the down delached in the course of the s n m m ï
Eneramngs. Dend. Brit., t. 100. ; Michx. N. Amer. Syl. £. t. 63 ; the nlate o fth is sn o d .s A-i.
scale ; e, the longitudinal section of a seed ; a n d /, .an entire seed.
Spec. Char., f r . Leaves 5-angIed, obsoletely lobed, dentate, wedge-shaped
at the base; downy beneath. {Willd.) A large deciduous tree. Atlantic
and Western fetates. Height 70 or 80 feet ; with a widely spreading head
Introduced m 1636. Flowers greenish; May. Fruit brownish; ripe in
October and November.
The American, or Western, plane is of much more rapid and upright growth
than the Orient.al plane ; with broader and less deeply cut leaves, red pitioles
and fnnt comparatively smooth, and considerably larger. The bark is said to
scale off in larger pieces, and the wood to be more curiously veined. In all
other respects, the descriptive par-
ticulars of both trees are the same.
The rate of growth of P. occidentàlis,
when placed near water, is so rapid,
that in 1 0 years it will attain the
height of 40 ft. ; and a tree in the
Palace Garden at Lambeth, near a
pond, in 2 0 years had attained the
height of 80 ft. ; with a trunk 8 ft. in
circumference at 3 ft. from the ground ;
and the diameter of the head 48 ft.
This was in 1817. In May, 1837,
we had the jiortrait of this tree taken,
which will be found in Arb. Bnt.,
1st edit., p. 2044., when it was up-
wards of 100 ft. in Iieight. Uses, culture, soil, die., sis in P. orientiilis, with tlms
uiaerence : that cuttings root much more readily ; that the tree, to attain a
u l ! r'?® ®'ro. i-equtres a moister soil, or to be [ilaced near water ; that it is
bardy, and also less ornamental, though, from being more readily propagated,
It IS much more frequently planted.
1737. P. occidentàlis.
O r d e r L X X I IL iJALSAMA'CExL.
Ord. Char Fhu-ers unisexual, in different catkins on the same plant.—
^ ale catkins in an upright raceme. Stamens numerous, mixed with scales
on a connate \'tce\naQ.\e. — Female catkins solitary, below the male ones’
globose, on longer stalks. Omria many, 2-celled, eich surrounded by a fe?
ca es. iitijles two. Frnit a kind of cone, composed of indurated connected
'Scales, in the cavities of which lie the capsules, whicli arc 2-lobed. Seeds
3 o 2
L