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mpatemehi^ and fever al fmall concave petals , with fe- 
deral awl-jhaped gerrtien fitting upon the fiyles , crowned 
by recurved fiigmas ; thsfe .are collected in large balls . The 
german afterward turns to a roundifi: feed fitting upon the 
brifily fiyle , and furrounckd with downy hairs. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the eighth fection 
of Linnaeus’s twenty-fir ft clais, which includes thofe 
plants which have male and female flowers fepa- 
rated on the fame plant, whofe male flowers have 
many ftamina. 
The Species are, 
1. Platanus ( Orient alls ) foliis palmatis. Hort Cliff. 
447. Plane-tree with hand-jhaped leaves. Platanus Qri- 
‘entalis verus. Park. Theat. 1427. The true Eafiern 
Plane-tree . 
2. Platanus ( Occident alts ) foliis lobatis. Hort. Cliff. 
447. Plane-tree with lobatsd leaves. Platanus Occiden- 
tal^ aut Virginienfis. Park. Theat. 1427. Occidental 
or Virginian Plane-tree. 
Thefe two are undoubtedly diftinbt fpecies, but there 
are two others in the Englifh gardens, which I fup- 
pofe to be varieties that have accidentally rifen from 
feed 4 one is titled the Maple-leaved Plane-tree, and 
the other is called the Span iff Plane-tree. 
The firft fort, or Eaftern Plane-tree, grows naturally 
in Afia, where it becomes very large •, the ftem is tall, 
eredt, and covered with a fmooth bark, which annu- 
ally 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 purple colour ; they are garniffed 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 (lightly cut again into two 
more ; thefe fegments have many acute indentures on 
their borders, and have each a ftrong midrib, with 
many lateral veins running to the fides ; the upper 
fide of the leaves are of a deep green, and the under 
fide pale. The flowers come out upon long foot- 
ftalks or ropes hanging downward, each fuftaining 
five or fix round balls of flowers ; the upper, which 
are the largeft, are more than four inches in circum- 
ference ; thefe fit very clofe to the foot-ftalks. The 
flowers are fo fmall as fcarce to be diftinguifhed with- 
out glides ; they come out a little before the leaves, 
which is in the beginni.ogof June; and in warm fummers 
the feeds will ripen late in autumn, and if left upon the 
trees will remain till fpring, when the balls fall to 
pieces, and the brifily down which furrounds the feeds, 
help totranfport them to a great diffance with the wind. 
The fecond fott grows naturally in moft parts of 
North America •, this tree alfo grows to a large fize, 
the ftem very ftrait, and of equal girt moft part of 
the length •, the bark is fmooth, and annually falls off 
like that of the other ; the branches extend wide on 
every fide ; the young ones have a brownifh bark, but 
the old ones have a gray bark ; the foot-ftalks of the 
leaves are three inches long •, the leaves are feven 
inches long, and ten broad ; they are cut into three 
lobes or angles, and have feveral acute indentures on 
their borders, with three longitudinal midribs, and 
many ftrong lateral veins. The leaves are of a light 
green on their upper fide, and paler on their under. 
The flowers grow in round balls like the former, but 
are ftnaller. The leaves and flowers come out at the 
fame time with the former, and the feeds, ripen in 
autumn. 
That which is called the Maple-leaved Plane, is cer- 
tainly a ieminal variety of the Eaftern Plane, for 
the feeds which fcattered from a large tree of this 
kind in the Chelfea Garden have produced plants of 
that fort feveral times. This differs from the two 
forts before-mentioned, in having its leaves not fo 
deeply cut as thofe of the Eaftern. Plane, but they 
are divided into five fegments, pretty deep, but are 
not lobed as thofe of the Occidental Plane. The foot- 
ftalks of the leaves are much longer than thofe of 
either of the former, and the upper furface of the 
leaves is rougher, fo that any perfon might take them 
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for different fpecies, who had not feen them' rife from 
the fame feeds. 
I he Spanifh Plane-tree has larger, leaves than either 
of the other forts, which are more divided than thofe 
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 ffarply indented on 
the edges, and are of a light green ; the foot-ftalks 
are (hort, and covered with a fhort down. This is by 
fome called the middle Plane-tree, from its leaves be- 
ing ftiaped between thofe of the two other forts. It 
grows rather fafter than either of the other forts, but 
i have not feen any very large trees of this kind. 
The firft fort was brought out of the Levant to 
Rome, where it was cultivated with much coft and 
indufliy. ft he gieateft orators and ftateinien among 
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 read of 
their irrigating them with wine inftead of water. Pliny 
aflirniSy that there is no tree vvhatfoever, which fo 
well deiends us from tne heat of the fun in fumnier, 
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 different forts of trees yet known) fo that 
when the leaves are fallen in winter, the branches 
growing at a great diftance, eafily admit the rays of 
the fun. 
This tree was afterwards, brought to France, where it 
was cultivated only by perfons of the firft rank; and 
fo much was the iff ade of it prized, as that if any of 
the natives did but put his head under it, they exa&ed 
a tribute from him. 
It is generally fuppofed, that the -introduction of this 
tree into England is owing to the great Lord Chancel- 
lor Bacon, who planted "a noble parcel of them at 
Verulam, which were there very flourifhing lome 
years fince, but have lately been deftroyed. But not- 
withstanding its having been fo long in England, yet 
there are but very few large trees to be feen of it at 
prefent ; which may, perhaps, be owing to the great 
efteern the perfons of the laft age had for the Lime- 
tree, which was a faffionable tree at that time, and 
being much eafier to propagate, and of a quicker 
growth during the three or four firft years than the 
Plane-tree, thereby it became the moft common tree 
for planting of avenues and fliady walks near habita- 
tions in England. But fince the defebts of that tree 
have been more generally difeovered, the Elm has 
had the preference, and is now the moft commonly 
planted for ftich purpofes. 
However, notwithstanding what has. been faid of the 
Plane-tree, of its backwardnefs in coming out in the 
fpring, and the fudden decay of its leaves in autumn, 
yet for the goodly appearance, and great magnitude 
to which it will grow, it deferves a place in large 
plantations, or fffady recedes near habitations ; efpeci- 
ally if the plantation be defigned on a moift foil, or 
near rivulets of water, in which places this tree will 
arrive to a prodigious magnitude. 
We read of one of thefe trees, which w r as growing 
at a villa of the Emperor Caligula, whofe trunk was 
fo large, as when hollowed, to make room therein.,, 
capacious enough to entertain ten or twelve perfons 
at a repaft, and for their fervants to wait upon them,. 
And there is mention made of one of thefe trees, 
which was growing in the Eaftern country, which, 
was of fo great a magnitude, that Xerxes made his 
army (which confided 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 
\yith it, that for fome days, neither the concern of 
his grand expedition, nor intereft, nor honour, the 
neceffary motion of his prodigious army, could 
diffuade him from it ; he (filed it, his Miftrefs, his 
Minion, his Goddefs ; and when he was obliged- 
to part with it* he ca-ufed a figure of it to be 
ftamped 
