Plantanus orientalis

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Plantanus orientalis
• Oriental Plane
• Oriental Plane-tree
• Oriental planetree
• chenar
• Chinar

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Platanus vulgaris proles orientalis
• Platanus orientalis var. insularis
• Platanus orientalis f. occidentaloides
• Platanus orientalis f. pendula
• Platanus orientalis var. elongata
• Platanus orientalis var. undulata
• Platanus nana
• Platanus reuteri
• Platanus umbraculifera
• Platanus palmata
• Platanus undulata
• Platanus orientalis var. rosenthalii
• Platanus orientalior
• Platanus orientalis var. laciniata
• Platanus nepalensis
• Platanus macrophylla
• Platanus laciniata
• Platanus insularis
• Platanus cretica
• Platanus digitata
• Platanus algeriensis
• Platanus orientalis f. digitata
• Platanus orientalis var. nepalensis
• Platanus vitifolia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, specifically situated within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. It is further classified under the order Proteales and the family Platanaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Platanus.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, Platanus orientalis, exhibits a specific geographical distribution across several regions of Southeastern Europe. It can be found growing within the territories of Albania and Bulgaria. Additionally, its presence extends into the landscapes of Greece. The species also inhabits various areas throughout Italy. Finally, its distribution includes the island of Kriti.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Platanus orientalis is characterized by its preference for specific altitudinal gradients and human-influenced environments. This species typically thrives within an elevational range spanning from a minimum of 1000 m AMSL to a maximum of 1800 m AMSL. Regarding its primary habitats, it is frequently found in garden settings, where it can be integrated into landscaped environments.

Elevational range max:

1800 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

1000 m AMSL

Habitat :

garden

Life history

The life history of Platanus orientalis is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons and establish a long-lived presence in its ecosystem. As a phanerophyte, the plant invests significant energy into developing robust, woody structures that elevate its photosynthetic organs well above the ground level, ensuring access to light and stability. Its seasonal rhythm is defined by its deciduous nature, meaning it undergoes a complete shedding of its foliage annually in response to environmental cues, entering a period of dormancy to survive unfavorable climatic conditions before regenerating its canopy in the following spring.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Platanus orientalis is characterized by a robust, woody structure, functioning as a large-scale tree that can reach an average plant height of approximately 30 m. As a terrestrial species, it does not exhibit aquatic or epiphytic tendencies, maintaining a self-supporting growth habit that requires no climbing mechanisms such as lianas or vines. The plant is categorized by its woody tissue and maintains an independent life cycle, functioning as a non-parasitic organism within its ecosystem. While its growth form is primarily that of a tree, it possesses a significant structural presence that distinguishes it from shrubs or herbaceous plants.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

30 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Platanus orientalis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and environmental adaptation strategies. The structural development of its foliage displays significant morphological variation, with leaf dimensions ranging from a minimum length of 9 cm to a maximum length of 18 cm, maintaining a mean leaf length of 13.5 cm. Correspondingly, the leaf width varies from a minimum of 8 cm to a maximum of 16 cm, resulting in a mean leaf width of 12 cm. Furthermore, the plant exhibits specific structural integrity in its woody components, evidenced by a mean stem specific density (SSD) of 652.5 mg/cm³.

Leaf length max:

18 cm

Leaf length mean:

13.5 cm

Leaf length min:

9 cm

Leaf width max:

16 cm

Leaf width mean:

12 cm

Leaf width min:

8 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Stem specific density (SSD) mean:

652.5 mg/cm³

Reproduction

The reproduction of Platanus orientalis is characterized by a specific seasonal flowering cycle and a specialized seed dispersal mechanism. The flowering period is concentrated in the month of April, marking both the start and the end of its floral activity. Following pollination, the plant produces seeds that are notably lightweight, exhibiting a mean seed mass of 0.00423 g, with individual seeds ranging from a minimum of 0.00281 g to a maximum of 0.00667 g. These seeds utilize an anemochorous dispersal syndrome, meaning they are primarily dispersed by the wind, allowing them to travel through the air to colonize new areas.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Flowering time :

Apr

Seed mass max:

0.00667 g

Seed mass mean:

0.00423 g

Seed mass min:

0.00281 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Platanus orientalis has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Fitoterapia

Chemicals

Platanus orientalis has 4 reported phytochemicals identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include CARVONE, Flavonoids, allantoin, betulinic acid.

CARVONE

1. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine

Flavonoids

1. Anticancer research

allantoin

1. Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR

betulinic acid

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Platanus orientalis has 18 reported activities identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Anthelmintic, AntiHIV, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Anticarcinomic.

Anthelmintic

1. Dr. Duke

AntiHIV

1. Dr. Duke

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke

Anticarcinomic

1. Dr. Duke

Antiedemic

1. Dr. Duke

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke

Antileukemic

1. Dr. Duke

Antimalarial

1. Dr. Duke

Antimelanomic

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Platanus orientalis has 4 reported investigations on conditions identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, toothache.

Alzheimer's disease

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Cancer

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Diabetes mellitus

1. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)

Toothache

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Platanus orientalis has 1 reported preparations identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include ethanol extracts.

Ethanol extracts

1. Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR