THE CONTROL OF IRRITATING FRUIT HAIRS FROM STREET TREE PLATANUS

Abstract

Summary For the past ten years fruit hairs of street tree planes (Platanus acerifolia Willd and P. occidentalis Linn) in several large Chinese cities have been responsible for causing extreme irritation to the eyes, noses, ears and throats of pedestrians. Many of these tree are over mature, and consequently produce an abundance of fruits, the hairs from which cause the extreme discomfort. By cutting back these trees to lower or middle truck branches the tree crown can be rejuvenated to some extent depending on pruning intensity; during the following five to seven years of canopy regeneration and after that, fruit production is greatly reduced and consequently the amount of hairs in the atmosphere is equally diminshed. The effectiveness of this practice and other methods of control are discussed.