The genus Platanus Linn ae us is widely distributed in temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, yet its systematic taxonomy is controversial due to substantial interspecific variation and phenotypic plasticity. To address this taxonomic uncertainty, geometric morphometrics (GMM) was conducted to compare leaf morphological variability among seven extant species and the fossil specimens newly collected from the lower Eocene of Lingbao Basin, in central China. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and thin-plate spline analysis reveal that leaf length-to-width ratio, base shape, and lobe depth serve as diagnostic characters for extant Platanus species. The PCA score plot indicates that Lingbao fossils cluster closely with extant Platanus orientalis Linn ae us, showing high morphological similarity. Based on GMM analysis and comparison with reported fossil records, these fossils are herein proposed as anew species: Platanus orientalifolia Zhu and Jia, n. sp. Synthesis of fossil records demonstrates that Platanus might originate in North America during the Early Cretaceous and subsequently dispersed westward and eastward into Asia and Europe, ultimately achieving a widespread distribution across the Northern Hemisphere (similar to 90 Ma). Subsequently, climatic fluctuations led to a gradual range contraction until the Miocene when their current distribution pattern was established. This new discovery fills a gap of Platanus fossil record in central China, enriches understanding of its dispersal routes, and implies a warm and humid early Eocene environment in central China. (c) 2026 Elsevier B.V. and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS