104 Bulletin of the University of Texas 
er, the base of the trunk is frequently swollen. Bark thin 
and gray on mature trunks, pale gray or almost white on 
younger branches. The twigs are covered with fine hairs. 
Leaves obiong to elliptic, firm, evergreen, green and shining 
above, pale and with fine silky hairs below, 4’-6’ long, 
1y’-214’ wide, with prominent veins and midrib. Flowers 
globuiar, white and fragrant. Fruit oval, smooth, dark red, 
2’ lone, 44’ wide, with flattened seeds. 
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, south to Florida and west to 
Arkansas and Texas. In Texas it extends to the Trinity 
Valley. 
The wood is rather light and is not exteusively used for 
timber. The tree is planted for ornament throughout its 
range and is well adapted for this purpose. 
PLATANACEAE Lindley. The Plane Tree Family. 
Platanus. The Plane Tree. 
Platanus occidentalis L. Sycamore. Button Wwod. A 
very large tree 140°-170° high with a trunk diameter some- 
times reaching 10°-11°. The trunk frequently branches near 
the ground into several large secondary divisions forming a 
very wide spread, irregular, open crown. Bark on old trunks 
is gray to reddish brown with plate-like scales, on younger 
portions it is grayish green, thin, separating from the tree in 
large, thin brittle plates which exposes the whitish smooth 
inner layer, giving the tree a clean ‘‘whitewashed” appear- 
ance. Leaves broadly ovate, 3-5 lobed, 4’-9’ wide, the lobes 
broad, toothed, thin and firm, bright green above, paler below, 
hairy when first expanded, becoming smooth with age. Flow- 
ers borne in dense globular heads on wooly stalks appearing 
with the leaves. Fruit a globular head 14’-114’ in diameter 
which bears numerous seeds, and persists on the tree until the 
following spring. The seeds drop out throughout the early 
winter. 
Southern Ontario, Maine, south to the Gulf States and west 
to Nebraska and Texas. In Texas it extends to the valley of 
the Devils River. It grows principally along streams and in 
