Platanus racemosa
| Platanus racemosa | |
|---|---|
| File:Bare Platanus racemosa.jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: |
P. racemosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Platanus racemosa |
|
| File:Platanus racemosa range map.jpg | |
| Natural range | |
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Platanus racemosa is a species of Plane tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, Western sycamore, California plane tree, and in Spanish Aliso. Platanus racemosa is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in riparian areas, canyons, floodplains, at springs and seeps, and along streams and rivers in several types of habitats.
Description
This large tree grows to Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). in height with a trunk diameter of up to one meter (three feet). A specimen on the campus of Stanford University has a trunk girth (circumference) of Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). feet.[1] The trunk generally divides into two or more large trunks splitting into many branches. The bark is an attractive patchwork of white, tawny beige, pinkish gray, and pale brown, with older bark becoming darker and peeling away. Platanus racemosa is the dominant species in the globally and state endangered sycamore-alluvial woodland habitat.
The large palmately lobed leaves may be up to Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). centimeters wide and have three or five pointed lobes. New leaves are a bright translucent green and somewhat woolly. The deciduous tree drops copious amounts of dry golden to orangish red leaves in the fall. The inflorescence is made up of a few spherical flower heads each around a centimeter wide. The female flower heads develop into spherical fruit clusters each made up of many hairy, maroon-red-woolly achenes.
The tough and coarse-grained wood is difficult to split and work. It has various uses, including acting as a meat preparation block for butchers. Many small birds feed on its fruit, and several mammals eat its twigs and bark. The pollen and the hairs on leaves and flowers can be allergens for some people.[2] New leaves are susceptible to anthracnose canker, which, when it causes a side bud to become the new leader, can create picturesque angling trunks and branches on older specimens.[2]
Cultivation
It is also widely planted horticulturally as a landscape tree in public landscapes and private gardens. New appreciation for how it shades sun in summer and lets sun through in winter has led to its use in green architecture and sustainable design. The aesthetics of its bark and its overall form add interest.
See also
References
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA Plants Profile
- Photo gallery
- Interactive Distribution Map of Platanus racemosa
- Pages with broken file links
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Flora of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)
- Garden plants of North America
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
- Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
- Natural history of the Colorado Desert
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Ornamental trees
- Platanaceae
- Trees of Baja California
- Trees of the Southwestern United States
- Trees of Mediterranean climate
