Home of Oriental Plane Tree. Siamak D.Ahi........................

Home
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Of
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Oriental
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Plane Tree
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part one

Siamak D. Ahi

On
Chenar
and
Chenar-estan

.

Oriental Plane is Indigenous

From Southern Europe to the Iranian Plateau.

In Persia, Proper, Spontaneous Planes Observed.

Spontaneous Oriental Planes
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Botanists observed proper, Spontaneus Oriental Planes in several places In Iran:
Azerbaijan,…...... Khoy.
Kermanshahan,.....…. Harsin.
Hamedan, Luristan, …......Khoram-abad, Shahbazan.
Bakhtiari, ….......Sefid-dasht, mountains up to Sar-dasht.
Khouzestan, ......….Gat-vand.
Fars,............ near Shiraz, near Ghaar-e Shah-pour, Kazeroun, Sabz-poushan.
Kerman,…....... Mount Nasr up to 2600 above sea level
Khorasan, ….......Bojnoord, Torbat-e Jam.
Qum, …........Raah-jerd.
Gilan, …........Rood-baar, highlands between Lowshan and Amaar-loo.
Mazandaran, ….........Kojoor, haraaz valley, Punjaab.
Southern Alborz region, .............including Tehran area
Between Katool and Damghan ...........wild plane groves have seen also been reported
In Kurdistan,........ It is commonly known as Chenar also designates the white poplar.
A variety of plane is called Jowhar-daar in Kurdish.

Popularity
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and
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Practicality
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The popularity and wide distribution of cultivated planes as ornamental or shade trees in Persia, especially in gardens and along city streets, are due to several features of plane. It grows rapidly, specially when young, and may reach 30m (and sometimes more) in height, with a spreading crown, large palmate leaves (compared by some Persian poets to spread human hands). A lofty trunk, usually upright and slightly tapering. At the base, when advanced in years, develops abnormally into an enormous, often squad mass, which old age hollows out.

It can be easily manipulated and propagated in various ways: by seeds, cutting the shoots or by layering the shoots.

Planes grow best in rich, deep, cool and moist soils. Actually they need plenty of moisture at their roots.They survive but don’t thrive in dry, clay or saline soils.

Further, so far as modern Persian cities are concerned planes are resilient to air pollution and to polluted irrigating water running in open city water channels.

Longevity
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of
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Oriental Plane
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2000 Years or Longer....

Longevity of plane tree is also impressive: 2000 years or longer.

In 1968-69, Iran started to locate and register trees again all over the country. The trees had to be at least one hundred years old. The Identity records of trees show great many planes, including:

The Oriental plane of Shahmirzaad is 1500 years old and 25 meter high. circumference of its trunk at 1m above ground level is 15m. In Targh, a village of Natanz, there is a 1300 years old Plane. 7.8m in circumference and 25 meter high.

Will Continue

related stories:
Greek plane tree and Healing; http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/around-greek-plane-tree.html
Chenar-e Emamzadeh Saleh: http://chenarestan.blogspot.com/2005/07/chenar-e-emamzadeh-saleh.html