| Platanus kerrii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Platanaceae |
| Genus: | Platanus |
| Species: | P. kerrii |
| Binomial name | |
| Platanus kerrii | |
Platanus kerrii (Kerr's plane) is a rare and distinctive species of plane tree (sycamore) native to the tropical forests of Vietnam and Laos in Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the subgenus Castaneophyllum, representing the most basal lineage within the genus Platanus. Unlike all other plane trees, P. kerrii is evergreen and retains unlobed leaves throughout its adult life, with none developing the lobed form characteristic of other Platanus species. While some have speculated that P. kerrii might represent a living analogue of ancestral plane trees, no fossil material clearly displaying its distinctive morphology (such as it's pollen morphology) has been found. [2] Even it's distinctive leaf form, once thought to reflect a primitive condition linking it to Cretaceous ancestors, is now understood as a derived feature rather than evidence of direct ancestry from early Platanus-like forms. [3]
