Chinara, called in the botanical science the plane tree oriental (Latin: Platanus orientalis), is loved both for its powerful beauty, and for the opportunity to hide in the shade of noon created by its thick and voluminous crown. Majestic plants - plane trees - are well known to residents of the Caucasus, Central Asia, as well as several southern regions of Ukraine. Apennines and Balkans, Aegean islands, Cyprus and Crete, the eastern part of the Mediterranean coast, Asia Minor are places where these deciduous trees are found today in the wild.
Oriental plane trees from time immemorial were cultivated by the inhabitants of the entire Mediterranean. They planted plane trees near streams, wells, springs, near temples and apartment buildings. The ancient Greeks, who belonged to the tree with special respect, distributed it during the campaigns of conquest. At the end of the 4th century BC, the Greeks brought the plant to the
Apennine Peninsula. A little time passed, and thanks to the craving for the conquests of the ancient inhabitants of the Apennines, the plane tree (photo presented in the article) became known in all corners of the vast Roman Empire.
Botanical Description
Platan trees belonging to the specified species reach a height of 25 - 30 m or more. From a powerful trunk with a diameter of up to 12 m, curved branches leave almost at right angles. On the gray, sometimes greenish hue, the crust forms large plates of irregular shape, which eventually disappear, exposing the lighter areas. Therefore, the young trunk looks spotty. The dark gray old plane tree of the plane tree is picturesquely cut by deep cracks.
The leaf of a plane tree is five- or seven-bladed, from 12 to 15 cm in length and from 15 to 18 cm in width. It is very similar to
a maple leaf. Oblong lobes have recesses and several large teeth. The appearance of new leaves, covered with white hairs, coincides in time with flowering. As it grows, the pubescence disappears, and the color of the crown becomes dark green. In autumn, foliage is painted in amazingly beautiful crimson tones. The flowers are small and nondescript, collected in capitate inflorescences. The fruit is a complex
nutlet ("chinarik"), which remains to winter on the branches, is a characteristic feature by which plane trees of the species Platanus orientalis are recognized. In the spring, “chinariki” fall to the ground and scatter into seeds, ready for germination in moist soil. Low spreading crown is another sign by which these mighty trees are distinguished from other species.
Platans belonging to the species Platanus orientalis, in landscaping and industrial production
Oriental plane tree grows quickly, is stable in the conditions of the city, is not very demanding on the soil, and can withstand winter temperature drops. It is customary to use it both in single and linear landings, forming a green tunnel.
A classic example of a linear landing is a shady leafy tent over Pushkinskaya Street in Odessa. Trees of this species are also good for creating a real kingdom of mighty plane trees - a large massif or grove. Platanus orientalis, as well as other species that belong to the monotypic genus Platanov, is a valuable tree species that is readily used in shipbuilding, as well as in the manufacture of furniture and parquet.