The first settlers of the town came from Aegean shores and named the town "Platana" because of the abundance of plane trees (Greek Plàtanos, Πλάτανος, Latin Platanus).
Apart from the chance to hike on Pelinaio mountain or swim to the village's beach, visitors may be delighted to taste local dishes in the tavern near the river and under the huge tree of Hippocrates, Platanus.
The one-way avenue with old plane trees is flanked with shopping malls, department stores, fashion garment stores, elegant shops offering world famous brands, restaurants of international and local cuisine, pubs and cafes, luxury car dealers and bank agencies.
Since the 19th century many other trees, including planes (sycamores), beechs, laurels, and eucalyptus have grown in the area.
Platanenmuster ("Plane tree pattern"; 1937–1942): spring/summer and autumn/winter variations
Despite being a busy traffic artery, the street is elegantly lined with large well-established plane trees and boasts attractive terraces of large Victorian townhouses, as well as numerous high-end shops and restaurants.
In 2004–06, an underground parking garage was constructed under the square and the aging plane trees that had formerly stood along both sides were replaced by young trees of the same species.
In one case, companies owned by Prigoană won contracts for providing Platanus trees at a price of 30 lei per tree, but, through an additional document, the price was changed to 1,500-2,400 lei, more than 50 times higher than the initial price, whereas the common retail prices on the market are currently around 100-300 lei.
The Cretan king Rhadamanthus is said to have forbidden his subjects to swear by the gods, suggesting that they swear instead by the ram, the goose or the plane tree.
A village square is situated in the centre of Neochori, adorned by the centuries old plane trees and a roofed fountain dating from 1807.
The beetles overwinter under the bark of trees, mostly poplars, elms, plane, oak and horse chestnut.
It is caused by the fungus Splanchnonema platani, and causes large lesions on the upper sides of branches.
The small village provides a typical image of the Provence of Frédéric Mistral, with vine-grower's houses built around a castle, and a town square and fountain shaded by hundred year-old plane trees.
Now, the central area is grassed over and is home to a group of old plane trees.
A mineral water spring (vrysi) fed from the ‘bottomless’ Avithos lake at Agios Nikolaos feeds a fountain in the plane tree sheltered square where the village festivals, served by souvlaki stalls and the adjacent taverna, are held in the summer months.
The Place de la Fontaine and Place de l’Arounel, shaded by plane trees, may indicate the former location of the moat of the château.
This species is not host specific, but is often associated with cottonwoods (Populus) and willows (Salix), as well as sycamores (Platanus) rather than other floodplain hardwoods.
Platanus | Platanus orientalis | Platanus kerrii | Platanus occidentalis | Platanus × acerifolia |
It is divided into two sub-genera: the sub-genus Castaneophyllum J.-F. Leroy, 1982, with elliptical, penninerved leaves with small scarious, stipules, that only includes Platanus kerrii Gagnep., 1939, an isolated relict species that represents the genus’ evolutionary basal branch and which is a sister genus and is the sister group of the other species, including the sub-genus Platanus.
Other common plants include: cholla, prickly pear, hedgehog, and barrel cactus (flowering from April to June); yucca, sotol, and agave; creosote bush and ocotillo; palo verde and mesquite trees; an amazing variety of colorful wild flowers in good years (February to March); and a lush riparian area which supports large Arizona Walnut, Arizona Sycamore, and hackberry trees.