The plane tree is the only representative of the plane tree family. In the genus, there are no more than 10 species that live from Indochina to the eastern part of the Mediterranean, as well as in North America. They were spread by the ancient Romans, Greeks and Persians after the colonization of new lands. Growing trees was an integral part of the development of the conquered territories. A plane tree was considered the most beautiful plant of the East.
In our country, you can meet only one wild-growing species - a plane tree, a tree that is found in Central Asia and in the southern part of Transcaucasia. But if you happen to visit Armenia, then visit the Tsavsky Nature Reserve, where the plane tree grove is still preserved. Oriental plane tree or plane tree - a tree related to endangered species. It has solid, but at the same time light and dense wood, which is a valuable ornamental material. It is reddish-brown or golden in color, easy to sharpen, bends well and takes the necessary shape.
Chinar - photophilous, large, deciduous tree. It can live up to 2 thousand years and reach 50 meters in height. It has a broad, broad crown, a light gray smooth bark, and large palmate-lobed leaves. Since the trunk grows rather quickly near the plane tree, the tree (photo above) exfoliates the bark, which falls in layers and exposes deeper areas of light green color. At this time, the plane tree trunk acquires a very beautiful pattern. And it was precisely for this property that he received the nickname "shamelessness" in Russia.
Many of the oldest trees of this kind in their trunk have a hollow in which several people can take refuge at once. Not far from the town of Urgut, which is 40 km from Samarkand, there is a grove of sacred plane trees. This foothill hollow is completely sheltered by the canopy of thousand-year-old trees. Under the roots of one of the plane trees is a natural cave. The base of the tree is its ceiling. Today part of the walls of the cave was reinforced with brickwork, and the entrance to it was closed with a carved door. A special caretaker opens it only for visitors. In ancient times, in this cave they retired for pious conversations and prayers together.
Also, many long-lived trees are located in Azerbaijan, about 1000 majestic giants grow on its territory. And in one of the regional centers of the country there is a unique teahouse. The three-story building is under the cover of a huge plane tree, which covers it with its thick crown. And in Uzbekistan there is an 800-year-old plane tree, the tree has a trunk circumference of 15 meters. Once there was a village school in its hollow, during the civil war the headquarters of the division were located there, then the village council and the cooperative's office. Tajikistan also has its own attraction. In one of its villages, a 50-meter plane tree grows, which has a trunk with a circumference of 20 meters. And in the hollow of this huge tree is an oil mill.
The rapid growth of plane trees makes them promising for growing forest plantations in order to obtain raw materials for the production of biofuels, wood boards. And due to its decorativeness, these trees are successfully used in landscaping urban areas. Of course, this only happens where they have a favorable climate, since the plane does not have high winter hardiness.
