Misplaced Pages

#415584

58-538: Platanus orientalis , the Oriental plane , is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family , growing to 30 m (98 ft) or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red, amber, and yellow. The species' name orientalis means 'eastern' (in comparison, the 'western' plane (or American sycamore), the only other species known to Linnaeus,

116-731: A Mughal garden near Srinagar with over 700 chinar trees has been developed as a Chinar Heritage Park by the University of Kashmir . In 2011 a specimen planted by Capability Brown at Corsham Court in Wiltshire was identified by The Tree Register of the British Isles as the tree with the greatest known spread in the United Kingdom. An example dating to at least 1762 is one of Kew Gardens ' thirteen 'Heritage Trees'. The Pococke Garden at Christ Church, Oxford contains

174-399: A behavior known as " marcescence " whereby dead leaves are not shed in the fall and remain on the tree until being blown off by the weather. This is caused by incomplete development of the abscission layer. It is mainly seen in the seedling and sapling stage, although mature trees may have marcescence of leaves on the lower branches. A number of deciduous plants remove nitrogen and carbon from

232-602: A greater rate of transpiration (and hence CO 2 uptake as this occurs when stomata are open) during the summer growth period. The deciduous characteristic has developed repeatedly among woody plants. Trees include maple , many oaks and nothofagus , elm , beech , aspen , and birch , among others, as well as a number of coniferous genera , such as larch and Metasequoia . Deciduous shrubs include honeysuckle , viburnum , and many others. Most temperate woody vines are also deciduous, including grapes , poison ivy , Virginia creeper , wisteria , etc. The characteristic

290-479: A patchwork of leafy and leafless trees. Dionysius the Elder Dionysius began his working life as a clerk in a public office. Because of his achievements in the war against Carthage that began in 409 BC, he was elected supreme military commander in 406 BC. In the following year he seized total power and became tyrant. He was married to Aristomache , and had a daughter by her, Arete . He

348-474: A prize for one of his tragedies, “The Ransom of Hector” (see Intellectual tastes below), at a competition at the Lenaia festival at Athens, he was so elated that he drank himself to death. Others such as Cicero and Diodorus Siculus report that he died of natural causes shortly after learning of his play's victory in 367 BC. According to others, he was given an overdose of a sleeping potion by his physicians at

406-468: A shrine. Pliny 's Natural History records the westward progress of the plane "introduced among us from a foreign clime for nothing but its shade", planted first at the tomb of Diomedes on the island of Tremiti, then imported to Greek Sicily by Dionysius the Elder (c. 432-367 BC), tyrant of Syracuse. He had plane-trees conveyed to the city of Rhegium (Reggio di Calabria), where they were looked upon as

464-490: A small city state in north east Sicily, which Dionysius wanted to control. Rome's army being pinned down by Brennus' efforts would have assisted Dionysius's campaign. In 402 BC Dionysius I began building the walls of Syracuse, which included an impressive citadel, the Euryalus fortress , protecting the plateau to the northwest of Syracuse, the remains of which are still visible today. The walls were completed in 397 BC and had

522-456: A specimen, known as The Pococke Tree, which is understood to have been planted by Edward Pococke from seed he collected in 1636 from Aleppo . With a girth of around 9 metres it is the oldest in the UK. A plane tree is the main theme in the aria Ombra mai fu composed by George Frideric Handel , in which the main character, Xerxes I of Persia , admires the shade of a plane tree. The Chinar leaf

580-510: A stem. Considerable variation exists among trees in the wild, and this may be complicated by crossbreeding with planted London planes ( Platanus x acerifolia ), the hybrid of P. orientalis with the American sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis ). The tree is capable of being grown in most temperate latitudes, though it benefits greatly from warm summers. As a very large and wide tree with broad, thick leaves that tend to orient horizontally, it

638-606: Is a deciduous woody shrub found in Japan . Forests where a majority of the trees lose their foliage at the end of the typical growing season are called deciduous forests. These forests are found in many areas worldwide and have distinctive ecosystems, understory growth, and soil dynamics. Two distinctive types of deciduous forests are found growing around the world. Temperate deciduous forest biomes are plant communities distributed in North and South America, Asia, Southern slopes of

SECTION 10

#1732776785416

696-700: Is completed (marked by the transition from bright green spring leaves to dark green summer ones) the chlorophyll level in the leaves remains stable until cool temperatures arrive in autumn. When autumn arrives and the days are shorter or when plants are drought-stressed, the chlorophyll steadily breaks down, allowing other pigments present in the leaf to become apparent and resulting in non-green colored foliage. The brightest leaf colors are produced when days grow short and nights are cool, but remain above freezing. These other pigments include carotenoids that are yellow, brown, and orange. Anthocyanin pigments produce red and purple colors, though they are not always present in

754-620: Is considered a national symbol in Azad Jammu and Kashmir . The government seal continues to include the leaf. Many universities, including the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also include the symbol. It is the State tree of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir . During the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony , held in India, the chinar tree was featured prominently in

812-518: Is especially prized for the shade and coolness it provides during the hot season. It grows best in rich soil in a sunny location and can survive drought well, although young plants appreciate regular watering. The leaves and bark have been used medicinally. A fabric dye has been made from the twigs and roots. The timber , often called lacewood , is figured and valuable for indoor furniture. The leaves are also often used by artists for leaf carving . The Tree of Hippocrates , under which Hippocrates —

870-565: Is established. It can grow into a massive tree with many examples hundreds of years old. Around ten trees are known from the past and present with a diameter of 4 m (13 ft) or more with several specimens around 100 m (3,500 cu ft) in total volume. Like other plane trees , its leaves are borne alternately on the stem, deeply lobed, and palmate or maple -like. It usually has flaking bark, occasionally not flaking and becoming thick and rugged. Flowers and fruit are round and burr-like, borne in clusters of between two and six on

928-400: Is formed between the leaf petiole and the stem. This layer is formed in the spring during active new growth of the leaf; it consists of layers of cells that can separate from each other. The cells are sensitive to a plant hormone called auxin that is produced by the leaf and other parts of the plant. When auxin coming from the leaf is produced at a rate consistent with that from the body of

986-560: Is named Platanus occidentalis ). The tree was called platane in ancient Greek history and literature and by related names in continental Europe. Equally well known in Asia from Anatolia to India and usually called chinar or chenar . The native distribution is from Italy east through the Balkans, Turkey, and the Caucasus to Iran . Some accounts extend its native range west to

1044-625: Is seen as a symbol for the region, locally known as bouin in Kashmiri and chinar in Hindustani . Excavations from the Burzahom archaeological site have revealed charcoal remains of the tree from the Neolithic period. Muslim Kashmiris believe that the chinar was brought to Kashmir valley by Islamic preachers from Iran in 14th century AD, while Hindu Kashmiris hold a view that the tree

1102-655: Is some dispute the Dionysius of reference may be his son, Dionysius II. He features prominently in L. Sprague de Camp 's historical novel The Arrows of Hercules (1965) as a patron of inventors on the island of Ortygia near Syracuse. A fictional version of Dionysius is a character in Mary Renault 's historical novel The Mask of Apollo (1966). He is the main character in Valerio Massimo Manfredi 's novel Tyrant (2003). "Dionysius

1160-530: Is useful in plant identification; for instance in parts of Southern California and the American Southeast , deciduous and evergreen oak species may grow side by side. Periods of leaf fall often coincide with seasons: winter in the case of cool-climate plants or the dry-season in the case of tropical plants, however there are no deciduous species among tree-like monocotyledonous plants, e.g. palms , yuccas , and dracaenas . The hydrangea hirta

1218-715: The Chattergam village by an Islamic mystic Syed Abul Qaim Hamadani who accompanied Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Iran to Kashmir , is believed by many in Kashmir to be the world's oldest surviving chinar tree. Planting of chinar trees in Kashmir was greatly patronised by the Mughals, and later by Dogra rulers . Chinar trees are being felled rapidly in Kashmir, although a ban was enacted in 2009 to curb cutting. Chinar trees are now required to be registered, considered State Property, and painted white at their base. Naseem Bagh ,

SECTION 20

#1732776785416

1276-531: The Iberia , Palestine to the south and to the Himalayas in the east. As it has been known in cultivation from early times in much of this region it can be difficult to determine if it is truly indigenous in peripheral areas. The oriental plane is found naturally in riverine settings, together with such trees as alder , willow and poplar . However, it is quite capable of survival and success in dry soils once it

1334-708: The Italiote League in 387 BC in southern Italy. In one campaign, in which he was joined by the Lucanians, he devastated the territories of Thurii and Croton in an attempt to defend Locri . After a protracted siege, he took Rhegium in 386 and sold the inhabitants as slaves. He also pillaged the temple of Caere (then allied with Rome) on the Etruscan coast. In the Adriatic , to facilitate trade, Dionysius founded Ancona , Adria and Issa . After him,

1392-553: The autumn ; to the shedding of petals , after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit . The antonym of deciduous in the botanical sense is evergreen . Generally, the term "deciduous" means "the dropping of a part that is no longer needed or useful" and the "falling away after its purpose is finished". In plants, it is the result of natural processes. "Deciduous" has a similar meaning when referring to animal parts, such as deciduous antlers in deer , deciduous teeth (baby teeth) in some mammals (including humans); or decidua ,

1450-456: The dry season or other seasons, depending on variations in rainfall . The converse of deciduous is evergreen , where foliage is shed on a different schedule from deciduous plants, therefore appearing to remain green year round because not all the leaves are shed at the same time. Plants that are intermediate may be called semi-deciduous ; they lose old foliage as new growth begins. Other plants are semi-evergreen and lose their leaves before

1508-503: The foliage before they are shed and store them in the form of proteins in the vacuoles of parenchyma cells in the roots and the inner bark. In the spring, these proteins are used as a nitrogen source during the growth of new leaves or flowers. Plants with deciduous foliage have advantages and disadvantages compared to plants with evergreen foliage. Since deciduous plants lose their leaves to conserve water or to better survive winter weather conditions, they must regrow new foliage during

1566-644: The "Father of Medicine" — taught at Kos , is reputed to have been an oriental plane. A 500-year-old tree presently there may be on the same site and may have been planted from a succession of cuttings from the original. The Athenian Academy , outside Athens, featured a sacred grove of planes where the students listened to the masters and where among others the Peripatetics practiced philosophy. Many villages in Greece feature plane trees in their main squares, frequently found alongside them are water springs that in

1624-650: The 'tree of knowledge' segment of the ceremony. The Pococke Tree in the Pococke Garden at Christ Church is thought to be the inspiration for the Tumtum tree in Lewis Carol's poem Jabberwocky . Deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany , the term deciduous ( / d ɪ ˈ s ɪ dʒ u . ə s / ) means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves , usually in

1682-776: The Adriatic became a sea of Syracuse. In the Corinthian War , he joined the side of the Spartans and assisted them with mercenaries and ships (which contributed in blocking the Athenians' supplies from the Black Sea forcing them to peace). In 385 BC, Alcetas of Epirus was a refugee in Dionysius' court. Dionysius wanted a friendly monarch in Epirus , so he sent 2,000 Greek hoplites and 500 suits of Greek armour to help

1740-538: The Great and beyond him of Augustus . He also foreshadowed these later rulers in being one of the first Greek rulers to be given divine honors during his lifetime, and he made innovations in military technique, such as siege engines, which became a standard feature of warfare under Alexander the Great and later generals. It has been theorized that Brennus was working in concert with Dionysius, who sought to control all of Sicily. Rome had strong allegiances with Messana ,

1798-787: The Himalayas, Europe and for cultivation purposes in Oceania. They have formed under climatic conditions which have great seasonable temperature variability. Growth occurs during warm summers, leaf drop in autumn, and dormancy during cold winters. These seasonally distinctive communities have diverse life forms that are impacted greatly by the seasonality of their climate, mainly temperature and precipitation rates. These varying and regionally different ecological conditions produce distinctive forest plant communities in different regions. Tropical and subtropical deciduous forest biomes have developed in response not to seasonal temperature variations but to seasonal rainfall patterns. During prolonged dry periods

Platanus orientalis - Misplaced Pages Continue

1856-721: The Illyrians under Bardyllis in attacking the Molossians of Epirus. They ravaged the region and killed 15,000 Molossians, and Alcetas regained his throne. He joined the Illyrians in an attempt to plunder the temple of Delphi . Sparta intervened under Agesilaus , however, and with aid from Thessaly, Macedonia, and the Molossians themselves, the Spartans expelled the Illyrians. According to some sources, after gaining

1914-724: The Olympic games, but having gained a prize for a tragedy on the Ransom of Hector at the Lenaea at Athens , he was so elated that he engaged in a debauch which, according to some sources, proved fatal. His name is also known for the legend of Damon and Pythias , and he features indirectly (via his son) in the legend of the Sword of Damocles . The Ear of Dionysius in Syracuse is an artificial limestone cave named after Dionysius. Dionysius

1972-428: The earliest trees to lose their leaves in the fall. In sub-Arctic climates such as Alaska , leaves begin turning colors as early as August. However, for most temperate regions it takes place in late September through early November and in subtropical climates such as the southern US, it may be November into December. Leaf drop or abscission involves complex physiological signals and changes within plants. When leafout

2030-701: The fall months and the Western United States as it has more evergreen and fewer deciduous plants, combined with the West Coast and its maritime climate. ( See also : Autumn leaf color ) Most of the Southern Hemisphere lacks deciduous plants due to its milder winters and smaller landmass, most of which is nearer the equator with only far southern South America and the southern island of New Zealand producing distinct fall colors. The beginnings of leaf drop starts when an abscission layer

2088-591: The flowers can be damaged by frost or, in dry season regions, result in water stress on the plant. Spring leafout and fall leaf drop are triggered by a combination of daylight and air temperatures. The exact conditions required will vary with the species, but generally more cold-tolerant genera such as Salix will leaf-out earlier and lose their leaves later, while genera such as Fraxinus and Juglans can only grow in warm, frost-free conditions so they need at least 13 hours of daylight and air temperatures of around 70 °F (21 °C) to leaf out. They will be among

2146-426: The foliage is dropped to conserve water and prevent death from drought. Leaf drop is not seasonally dependent as it is in temperate climates. It can occur any time of year and varies by region of the world. Even within a small local area there can be variations in the timing and duration of leaf drop; different sides of the same mountain and areas that have high water tables or areas along streams and rivers can produce

2204-568: The following characteristics: Building so big a fortress would have involved installing well over 300 tons of stone every day for 5 years. Dionysius I is one of the central characters in the legend of the Sword of Damocles . Dionysius I also appears to be mentioned in Dante 's Inferno (of the Divine Comedy ) (1308–21) as a tyrant who suffers in a river of boiling blood, although there

2262-590: The great marvel of his palace, according to Pliny's sources. From there it spread by the first century CE as far as the lands of the Morini in Belgic Gaul. Regardless of why it may have been introduced, the tree had medicinal uses from early times. Pliny details 25 remedies using preparation from the bark, leaves and excrescences of plane. Pliny prescribes it for burns, bites, stings, frostbite and infections. Pliny goes on to describe some legendary plane trees. There

2320-476: The historian Diodorus Siculus , relations between the two were very positive: When the Lacedaemonians [Spartans] had settled the affairs of Greece to their own taste, they dispatched Aristus, one of their distinguished men, to Syracuse, ostensibly pretending that they would overthrow the government, but in truth with intent to increase the power of the tyranny; for they hoped that by helping to establish

2378-417: The humid maritime climate and lower overall species diversity . It is also a factor that the continental United States and southern Canada are at a lower latitude than northern Europe, so the sun during the fall months is higher and stronger. This combination of strong sun and cool temperatures leads to more intense fall colors. The Southern United States also has poor fall colors due to warm temperatures during

Platanus orientalis - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-464: The instigation of his son, Dionysius the Younger , who succeeded him as ruler of Syracuse. A similar theory, proposed by Justin , stated that Dionysius "was defeated and broken by constant warfare, and finally murdered by a conspiracy of his own kin". Modern historian Jeff Champion states that there is no evidence to prove the claim he was conspired against. His life was written by Philistus , but

2494-533: The leaves. Rather, they are produced in the foliage in late summer, when sugars are trapped in the leaves after the process of abscission begins. Parts of the world that have showy displays of bright autumn colors are limited to locations where days become short and nights are cool. The New England region of the United States and southeastern Canada tend to produce particularly good autumn colors for this reason, with Europe producing generally poorer colors due to

2552-487: The mercenaries on all parts of the polis community, signaling that democracy had ended in Syracuse. His rule was "unconstitutional and illegitimate and could not fail to provoke rebellions among the partisans of democratic government". Dionysius' position at home was threatened as early as 403 by those philosophically opposed to tyranny. Sparta , which had in the past deposed tyrants from Corinth to Athens , did not damn Dionysius and his autocracy . In fact, according to

2610-412: The next growing season, retaining some during winter or dry periods. Many deciduous plants flower during the period when they are leafless, as this increases the effectiveness of pollination . The absence of leaves improves wind transmission of pollen for wind-pollinated plants and increases the visibility of the flowers to insects in insect-pollinated plants. This strategy is not without risks, as

2668-783: The next suitable growing season; this uses resources which evergreens do not need to expend. Evergreens suffer greater water loss during the winter and they also can experience greater predation pressure , especially when small. Deciduous trees experience much less branch and trunk breakage from glaze ice storms when leafless, and plants can reduce water loss due to the reduction in availability of liquid water during cold winter days. Losing leaves in winter may reduce damage from insects; repairing leaves and keeping them functional may be more costly than just losing and regrowing them. Removing leaves also reduces cavitation which can damage xylem vessels in plants. This then allows deciduous plants to have xylem vessels with larger diameters and therefore

2726-445: The past would serve as the main water source for the villagers; usually these are quite old trees with their age seen as a point of pride for the local inhabitants. Occasionally the oldest trees exhibit partially hollowed out trunks, with cavities large enough to provide amusement opportunities for local or visiting children and teenagers, and even serving (along with the rest of the tree) as tourist attractions or at least in one occasion

2784-469: The plant, the cells of the abscission layer remain connected; in autumn, or when under stress, the auxin flow from the leaf decreases or stops, triggering cellular elongation within the abscission layer. The elongation of these cells breaks the connection between the different cell layers, allowing the leaf to break away from the plant. It also forms a layer that seals the break, so the plant does not lose sap. Some trees, particularly oaks and beeches, exhibit

2842-472: The poet before him for another poetry reading. Dionysius read his own work and the audience applauded. When he asked Philoxenus how he liked it, the poet turned to the guards and said "take me back to the quarries." Plutarch relates a version of this story in his On the Fortune of Alexander . He also posed as an author and patron of literature; his poems, severely criticized by Philoxenus, were hissed at

2900-479: The polis itself. The philosopher also notes that the people of Syracuse were warned not to let Dionysius conscript too many "guards" during his regime. He fought a war with Carthage from 397 BC to 392 BC with mixed success; his attempts to drive the Carthaginians entirely out of Sicily failed; at his death they were still masters of at least a third of it. He carried out an expedition against

2958-409: The rule of Dionysius they would obtain his ready service because of their benefactions to him. Dionysius even received the privilege of conscripting mercenaries from lands under Spartan authority. The demise of such a prominent democratic polis and the subsequent actions of Dionysius represented a recurring norm in fourth-century Greek states, thanks to the prevalence of mercenaries. The mercenary and

SECTION 50

#1732776785416

3016-412: The tyrant went hand in hand; for example, Polybius noted that "the security of despots rests entirely on the loyalty and power of mercenaries". Aristotle wrote that some form of "guard" (i.e., a personal army) is needed for absolute kingship, and for an elected tyrant an optimum number of professional soldiers should be employed. Too few would undermine the tyrant's power, while too many would threaten

3074-464: The uterine lining that sheds off after birth. In botany and horticulture , deciduous plants , including trees , shrubs and herbaceous perennials, are those that lose all of their leaves for part of the year. This process is called abscission . In some cases leaf loss coincides with winter—namely in temperate or polar climates . In other parts of the world, including tropical, subtropical, and arid regions, plants lose their leaves during

3132-503: The work is lost. Like Pisistratus , tyrant of Athens , Dionysius was fond of having literary men around him, such as the historian Philistus , the poet Philoxenus , and the philosopher Plato , but treated them in a most arbitrary manner. Diodorus Siculus relates in his Bibliotheca historica that Dionysius once had Philoxenus arrested and sent to the quarries for voicing a bad opinion about his poetry. The next day, he released Philoxenus because of his friends' requests, and brought

3190-462: Was married at the same time to Doris of Locris , who bore him his son, Dionysius II of Syracuse . Dionysius seized power with the help of a personal group of mercenaries, likely recruited from among the Sileraioi . This force, initially 600 men and later raised to 1,000, was granted to him as a bodyguard after he faked an attack on his own life. Having consolidated his position, Dionysius imposed

3248-526: Was one of the major figures in Greek and European history. He was a champion of the struggle between the Greeks and Carthage for Sicily, and was the first to bring the war into the enemy's territory. He transformed Syracuse into the most powerful city in the Greek world, and made it the seat of an empire stretching from Sicily across to Italy. It is said that Dionysius foreshadowed the accomplishments of Alexander

3306-592: Was one on the grounds of the Athenian Academy, he says, that had roots 50 feet (15 m) long. Licinius Mucianus held a banquet for 19 in a hollow plane-tree of Lycia, and the emperor Caligula another for 15 plus servants in a tree house (nest) built in the branches of a plane-tree at Velletri . The chinar tree can be found throughout the landscape of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian western Himalayas , planted across hillsides and cities, and

3364-517: Was traditionally planted near Hindu holy places in Kashmir and is associated with Hindu goddess Bhavani , from whom it derives its Kashmiri name bouin . After the advent of Muslim rule, especially under the Mughals , chinar became a major garden and landscape tree, and dominates many historic gardens. The tree known for its elegance and exuberance has remained an attraction for artists and litterateurs. One tree believed to be planted in 1374 A.D at

#415584