Platanaceae

Large, palmately lobed leaves resembling a maple's on trees with distinctive bark that flakes off in irregular patches, revealing a pale, mottled, camouflage-like trunk beneath; tiny flowers cluster into dense, ball-shaped heads that ripen into a hanging, spiky seed ball.

The patchy, flaking bark constantly sheds and renews itself, thought to help the tree survive urban pollution by shedding contaminated outer layers — one reason it is so widely planted along city streets.

To check whether a plant belongs to Platanaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.