The planetree is a vigorous and largely columnar, deciduous tree, with grey, brown and cream plated bark. The leaves, usually with 3 or 5 acute lobes, are bright green and can reach up to 35cm in length. The fruits, green then brown, are grouped in bunches of up to four, and persist throughout autumn and winter. The name "plane" comes from the Greek platys, meaning broad, due to the shape of the leaves. It derives from a hybrid between Platanus orientalis and P. Occidentalis, now widely used in parks and street trees for shade and wood. Vigorous, largely columnar, deciduous tree, with grey, brown and cream plated bark and very variable leaves but usually with 3 or 5 acute lobes, bright green in colour, up to 35cm long. The bunches of green, then brown fruits, about 2-3cm wide, are in groups of a maximum of 4 and persist in autumn and winter. The name of the planetree derives from the broad shape of the leaves, from the Greek platys, meaning broad. The origin of this widespread tree is not known: it is believed to be a hybrid between Platanus orientalis and P. Occidentalis, formed in northern Europe at the end of the 1600s and subsequently spread throughout the continent as an ornamental plant. It is widely used in parks for shade and in street trees. The wood is used in carpentry for beams and as fuel.