'Buttonwood' definitions:
Definition of 'buttonwood'
(from WordNet)
noun
Very large spreading plane tree of eastern and central North America to Mexico [syn: American sycamore, American plane, buttonwood, Platanus occidentalis]
Definition of 'Buttonwood'
From: GCIDE
- Buttonwood \But"ton*wood`\, n. (Bot.) The Platanus occidentalis, or American plane tree, a large tree, producing rough balls, from which it is named; -- called also buttonball tree, and, in some parts of the United States, sycamore. The California buttonwood is Platanus racemosa. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'buttonwood'
From: GCIDE
- Plane \Plane\, n. [F., fr. L. platanus, Gr. ?, fr. ? broad; -- so called on account of its broad leaves and spreading form. See Place, and cf. Platane, Plantain the tree.] (Bot.) Any tree of the genus Platanus. [1913 Webster]
- Note: The Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) is a native of Asia. It rises with a straight, smooth, branching stem to a great height, with palmated leaves, and long pendulous peduncles, sustaining several heads of small close-sitting flowers. The seeds are downy, and collected into round, rough, hard balls. The Occidental plane (Platanus occidentalis), which grows to a great height, is a native of North America, where it is popularly called sycamore, buttonwood, and buttonball, names also applied to the California species (Platanus racemosa). [1913 Webster]