What is "platanus"

Platanus \Plat"a*nus\, n. [See Plane the tree.] (Bot.) A genus of trees; the plane tree.

Platanus is a genus comprising a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae.

All members of Platanus are tall, reaching in height. All except for P. kerrii are deciduous, and most are found in riparian or other wetland habitats in the wild, though proving drought-tolerant in cultivation. The hybrid London plane has proved particularly tolerant of urban conditions.

They are often known in English as planes or plane trees. Some North American species are called sycamores (especially Platanus occidentalis), although the term sycamore also refers to the fig Ficus sycomorus, the plant originally so named, and to the Sycamore Maple Acer pseudoplatanus.