Plantcompass

General Information

Family: Plane family (Platanaceae)
Flowering period in Central Europe: Early to Full Spring
Months: 4–5

Allergy potential
CARE-S* Level 4. Main allergen Pla a1. In some regions of Spain and southern France, high plane tree pollen concentrations can occur and may cause intense allergic reactions in sensitized individuals.

Cross-reactions
Not known.

Botanical Information

Distribution
Native to North America, eastern Mediterranean including Italy, Southeast Asia, widely distributed and cultivated as street or park trees.

Botanical information
Habit — Tree. Foliage — Summer-green, leaves lobed, deeply incised, very similar to maple leaves, leaf margin doubly serrated. Reproduction — Monoecious, ♂ inflorescence stalked, globose, ♀ inflorescence stalked, globose.

Common species in Europe

American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis).
Habit — Tree. Distribution — Originally in North America, it is relevant for forestry in Europe due to rapid growth.

Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis).
Allergy potential — CARE-S* Level 4. Habit — Tree. Distribution — Asia Minor and Southeast Europe, a rare natural occurrence in Central Europe due to susceptibility to frost.

London plane (Platanus × hispanica).
Allergy potential — CARE-S* Level 4. A hybrid of P. occidentalis and P. orientalis. Habit — Tree. Distribution — Cultivated as a park tree.

* CARE-S is an evidence-based system for categorising the allergenic potential of plants. Additional information about CARE-S is available here.