Dictionary Definition
buttonwood n : very large spreading plane tree of
eastern and central North America to Mexico [syn: American
sycamore, American
plane, Platanus
occidentalis]
User Contributed Dictionary
- The common name given to at least three species of shrub or
tree.
- The mangrove tree, Conocarpus erectus, family Combretaceae, a tropical and subtropical species.
- The American sycamore or American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis, family Platanaceae.
- California sycamore or Western sycamore or aliso, Platanus racemosa.
Extensive Definition
Buttonwood is a common name for two different
genera of trees:
- Conocarpus, a tropical genus
- Platanus, the genus also called plane tree or American sycamore
Other uses
- The Buttonwood Agreement, named for the sycamore tree, created the organization which became the New York Stock Exchange.
- "Buttonwood" is a column in The Economist named for that agreement.