Plane trees are a widely used street tree species in urban greening.

The plane tree usually refers to the London plane (Platanus x acerifolia), a large deciduous tree in the genus Platanus of the family Platanaceae, produced by crossing the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) with the Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis). Because it was introduced and cultivated early on in the area of the former French Concession in Shanghai, and because its leaves closely resemble those of the Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex), people customarily called it the French plane, or plane tree for short. Although its name contains the words for parasol tree, it is not the same type of plant as the true Chinese parasol tree.

The plane tree is tall, with a broad crown and dense branches and leaves, giving excellent shade. The bark of young trees is smooth and grayish green; as the tree ages, the old bark peels off in thin, plate-like flakes, revealing lighter new bark beneath and forming a mottled texture that is highly distinctive. The leaves are broad and palmately lobed, and after flowering the tree produces spherical fruit clusters, usually hanging from the branches two to a string, shaped like little bells, which is where the name "plane tree" comes from.

The plane tree likes sunlight and a warm, humid climate, has a certain degree of cold tolerance, is not demanding about soil, tolerates pruning well, and has strong sprouting ability, making it relatively easy to cultivate and care for. It grows fairly quickly and has a strong resistance to smoke and dust, with a large crown and dense shade, making it a widely used street tree and shade tree worldwide, commonly seen along city roads and in public green spaces such as parks and plazas.

It should be noted that the fruit balls of the plane tree do not fall off through the winter, and in the following spring the fruit hairs drift in the wind, which may irritate the respiratory tract and skin of some people, so some cities improve the situation through measures such as winter pruning to control fruit and breeding varieties with fewer fruit balls and fewer hairs. In addition, the plane tree, the Chinese parasol tree and the Paulownia have similar names but belong to different families and genera, and they can be distinguished by starting with the characteristics of their leaves, fruit and bark.