208 



THE ORIENTAL PLANE. 



it has been before remarked,* exists in Ireland, 

 Arabia, and South America. 



The Plane is a majestic tree with a massive 

 smooth trunk. The bark is of an ash-grey, and 

 is remarkable for pealing off in large thin flakes ; 

 so that the trunk does not borrow anything in 

 size, like most other trees, from numerous de- 

 posits of bark. The leaves are large, and present 

 a wide flat surface, from which circumstance the 

 tree derives both its Greek and English names. 

 The Oriental Plane is distinguished from the 

 Occidental by having its leaves cut into five deep 

 lobes, with numerous secondary notches, bearing 

 a not altogether fanciful resemblance, pointed 



out by the ancient geographers, to the outline of the 

 Morea, with its numerous bays and promontories. 

 The flowers, which are produced in globular droop- 

 ing heads, several together, appear with the leaves 

 in spring, and are succeeded by balls of seed, 



* Vol. i. pp. 182—184. 



