Platanaceae FAMILY

Platanus occidentalis

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

In hot dry climates the hairs of the fruits and leaves are believed to cause an effect similar to hay fever[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ].

Botanical Description

Platanus occidentalis is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30.00 metres tall. It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEastern N. America - New England to Florida, west to Texas and Nebraska.

HabitatRich soils on the borders of streams and lakes[ 43 Title Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition Publication Author Fernald. M. L. Publisher American Book Co.; New York Year 1950 ISBN 0442222505 Description A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America. , 82 Title Manual of the Trees of N. America. Publication Author Sargent. C. S. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ Publisher Dover Publications Inc. New York. Year 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X Description Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet. ]. Often abundant on alluvial soils near streams and lakes and in moist ravines, sometimes on uplands, sometimes on limestone soils[ 270 Title Flora of N. America Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses. ].