Oriental plane tree

The thousand-year shade tree

The plane tree is Uzbekistan's most beloved tree. It grows so big that 10 children holding hands can barely wrap around its trunk! Plane trees live for more than 1,000 years. Long ago, people drank tea and held councils in a plane tree's shade. Some old planes have hollow trunks — people opened schools or teahouses inside them!

The oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) is a deciduous tree found from the Balkans to the Himalayas, growing to 30 m and living up to 2,000 years. Its bark flakes off in large plates, giving the trunk a 'camouflage' pattern. In Uzbekistan the plane tree is a symbol of the mahalla, the mosque and the spring; trees 500–1,000 years old survive in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Shakhrisabz. The plane at Sayram (Kazakhstan, 100 km from Tashkent) is thought to be over 1,000 years old. One plane tree evaporates 400 litres of water a day in summer, cooling the air by 5–7 °C. Its leaves are hand-shaped and its fruits are round 'buttons'.

Fun facts

• One plane tree works like an air conditioner in summer — cooling its surroundings by 5–7 °C.
• Plane bark keeps flaking off — that's why the trunk is patchy and dust doesn't stick to it.
• Some plane trees in Samarkand were alive in the time of Amir Temur.