I. 



ClifF. 



2. 



'*-^ 



A 



e::'p^tem?nts^ and fever al [mail concave petals^ ivith fe- 

 rjeral av)l-fl:aped gerynen fitting upon the Jlyles^ crowned 

 hy recurved fiigmas \ theje are colleBed in large balls. The 

 germtn afterward turns to a roimdifo feed fitting upon the 

 briflly ftyk^ and furrounded with downy hairs. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the eighth fedion 

 of Linna^us's twenty-firft clafs, which includes thole 

 plants which have male and female flowers fepa- 

 rated on the fame plant, whofe male flowers have 

 many ftamina. 



The Specihs are, 

 Platanus {Orientalis) foliis palmatis. Flort. 

 447. Plane-tree with hand-fhaped leaves. Platanus Ori- 

 entalis vcrus. Park. Thcat. 1427. The true Eaflern 



r 



Plant-tree. ' - ^ 



Platanus {Occident alls) foliis lobatis. Hort. Cliff. 



447, Plane-tree with lobated leaves. Platanus Occiden- 

 talis aut Virginienfis. Park. Theat. 1427. Occidental 

 cr Virginian Plane-tree. 



Thefe two are undoubtedly diftin6t fpecies, but there 

 are two others in the Engiifh gardens, which I fup- 

 pof? to be varieties that have accidentally rifen from 

 letd ; one is titled the Maple-leaved Plane-tree, and 

 the other is called the Spanifh Plane-tree. 

 The firft fort, or Eailern Plane-tree, grows naturally 

 in Afia^ where it becomes very large \ tKe ftem is tall, 

 ere^l:, and covered with a fmooth bark, which annu- 

 ity falls off; it fends out many fide branches, which 

 are generally a little crooked at their joints ; the 

 bark of the young branches is of a dark brown, in- 

 clining to a p^^iple colour \ they are garniflied with 

 leaves placed alternate ; their foot-ftalks are an 

 inch and a half long; the leaves are feven inches 

 long and eight broad, deeply cut into five fegments, 

 and the two outer are flightly cut again into two 

 more ; thefe fegments have many acute indentures oh 

 ; their borders,' and have each a flrong midrib, with 

 . many lateral veins running to the fides ; the upper 

 fide of the leaves are of a deep erecn, and the under 

 u;fide pale.;' The flowers, come out upon long foot- 

 .ftalks or ropes Hanging downward, each fuftaining 

 ,■ five or fix round balls of flowers ; the uppei-, which 

 T-are tne largeft, are more than four mches m circum- 

 c-ference \ thefe fit very clofe to the foot-ftalks. T The 

 flowers are fo fmall as fcarce to be diftinj^uifhed with- 

 ':TCut glaffes ;" they come out a little before the leaves, 

 .Ma/hich is in the beginningof June; and in warm fummers 

 -the feeds will ripen late in autumn, and if k-ft upon the 

 trees vvill remain till fpring, when the balls fall to 

 pieces, and the briflly down which furrounds the feeds, 

 •help totraqfport them to a great diftance with the v/ind. 

 'I'The fecond fott grows naturally in mofl; parts of 

 ;Korth America ; this tree alfo grows to a large fize, 

 the ilem very ftrait, and of equal girt moft part of 

 .;:the IcngtTi'; the bark is fmootli, and annually falls off 

 --^ike that'of the"'otlier ; the'bi^ancKes "extend wide on 

 every fide ; the young ones hav? a browni£h bark, but 

 : the old ones ha' 



a 



a 'gray bark ; the foot-fl:alks of the 



leaves are three inches lono-'f the leaves are fev.en 



inches long,' and ten broad ; they are cut into three 



lobes or angles^ and have feveral acute indentures on 



j.their borders, v;i'th three longitudinal midribs, and 



, many ftrong lateral veins. The leaves are of a light 



'. green on their upper fide,"'ahd paler on their under. 



\ The flowers grow in round balls like the former, but 



'are fmaller. The leaves and flowers come out at the' 



fame time with the former, and the feeds ripen in 



autumn. -■•^ . ;^ ': ■- ■ - ■■^" "' ^-"-^ 



n J 



..g'f hat which is called the Maple-leaved Plane, Is cer- 

 tainly a ftminal variety of the Eaftern Plane, for 

 the'feeds which fcattered from a large tree of this 

 feind" in tKe Chelfea Garden have produced plants of 

 that fort feveral times. This differs from "the two 

 forts before-mentioned, in having its leaves rjot fo 

 deeply cut as thofe of the Eaftern Plane, but th?y 

 are divided into five fegments, pretty deep, but are 

 iiotlobed aslflofeoF the Occidental Plane. Thefoot- 

 Ibilks of the leaves are much longer than tTibfe' of 

 cither of the former, and the-l&pper furfa^^^^ the 

 leaves is rougher, fothat any perfon migTit take thern 



V 



induftry. 



A 



for different fpecies, who had not fcen them rife from 

 the fame feeds. 



The Spanifh Plane-tree has larger leaves than cither 

 of the other forts, which arc more divided than thole 

 of the Occidental Plane-tree, but .not fo much as 

 the Eaftern. Some of the leaves are cut into five and 

 others but three lobes ; thefe are fl:iarp!y indented on 

 the edges, and are of a light green ; the foot-ftalks 

 are Oiort, and covered \vith a fliort down. This is by 

 fome called the middle Plane-tree, from its leaves be- 

 ing fiiaped between thofe of the two other forts. It 

 grows rather fafter than either of the other forts, but 

 I have not ken any very large trees of this kind. * 

 The firft fort was brought cut of the Levant to 

 Rome, where it was cultivated with much coft and 



The CTeatcft orators and ftatefmen amono- 

 the Romans took great pleafure in their villas, which 

 were furrounded with Platani ; and their fondnefs for 

 this tree became fo great, that we frequently rerd of 

 their irrigating them with v/ine inftcad of water. Pliny 

 affir.ns, that there is no tree whatfoever, which fo 

 well defends us from the heat cf the fun in fummcr, 

 nor that admits it more kindly in winter, the branches 

 being produced at a proportionable diftance to the 

 largenefs of their leaves (which is what holds through 

 ^all the diflerent forts of trees yet known) fo that 

 when the leaves are fallen in winter, the branches 

 growing at a great diftancCj eafily admit the rays of 

 the fun. \ 



This tree was afterv/ards brought to France, where it 

 . was cultivated only by perfons of the firft rank -, and 

 fo much was the fhade of it prized, as that if any' of 

 the natives did but put his head under it, they exadled 

 a tribute from him. ■ 



. It is generally fuppofed, that the introduflion of this 

 -tree into England is owing to the great Lord Chancel- 

 |;-lor Bacon, who^ planted a noble parcel of them at. 

 ; i Veri]iam, wlpcfi were there very floUrilhihg fofnc 

 : -^ years fince, but have latejj beqn deftfoyed, .Butnot- 

 : ":" withftanding its having bqen fo long in England, yet 

 -r there are but very Few large trees to be feen of it at 



the great 



the Lim.e- 



• trpe/which was a fafliionable tree at that tirtie, and 



bejng much e;ifier to propagate, and of a quicker 



';pre{entV which rifay^pcrhaps, be owing to 

 ■ efteem"the perfbhs of the laft age^fiad for tl 



1 . ^ 



. grqvv'th during the three or fovir firft years than the 

 '- Plane-tree, thereby it became the moft cgmmon tree 

 ,for planting of avenues and ftiady walks near habita- ' 

 tions in England. ' But fince the defefts of that tree 



\ -^ 





tl.V4 



'* • 



-■1 



•/- 



V 



'^ 



have been more generally difcovered, the Elm~ has 

 had the preference, and is now the moft commonly" 

 planted for fuch purpofes. ^ - 



However, notwithftandino; what has been faidof the ' 

 Plane-tree, of its backwardnefs in coming oi)t in the 

 fpring, and the fuddeii decay of its leaves in autumn, 

 l.;;ye^ for the goodly appearance, and great magnitude ^ 

 ; ^ to which it will grow, it deferve's a place in large 

 ;-^ plantations, or Ihady reccffesnear habitations ; efpeci- 

 ; ';ally if the plantation be defigned pq a moift foil, or 

 ^ near rivulets gf water, in which places this tree will 



-' arrive to a prodigious magmtude."^^ '- "^T<:. . .'r ■ 



:\ We read of one of thefe trees, which'was growing 



at a villa of the Emperor Caligula, whofe trunk was- . 



fo large/ 'as" v/beiT hollowed, to make room therein, 



\:i capacious enough to entertain ten or twelve 'perfons 



;■' at a repa(l, and for their fervants to wait upon th^iji^ 



'■ And there is mention made of one of thefe trees^ 



which was growing in the: Eaftern country, whicji 



was of fo great a magnitude, that Xerxes made his 



*^ army" (which confifted of feventeen hundred thoufand 



men)" halt for* fome days^" to admire the beauty and 



tallnefs of this tree\ and became fo fond of it, as to 



take his own, his concubines, and all the great per- 



fons jewels to cover it ; and was fo much enamoured " 



with it, t$at for fome days, neither the concern of 



his grand expedition,' nor intereft, nor honour, the 



neceffary motion of his prodigious army, could 



; difiliade him from it ; he ftiled it, his Miftrefs, his 



; Minion, his Goddefs ; and when 'he was obliged 



^ to 'part with it, hecaufcd a figure of it to be 

 ' *- ftamped 



