Platanus x hispanica London plane
If you live in a city, and particularly in London, the London plane is likely to be the tree you see most often. It is thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis, the oriental plane, and Platanus occidentalis, the American plane, their seedling discovered in Vauxhall by John Tradescant the younger in the mid 17th century. It has been estimated that the London plane accounts for around half of all the trees in London, and this is partly because it is so happy in urban conditions. Its beautiful bark shrugs off plates all year round, and with it any pollution and deposits that have built up; it requires little root space; and it is very malleable and happy to be pruned, as witnessed in European cities where it is also used in great number but often trained as a shade tree or down the centres of avenues. Trees can live to be hundreds of years old. There is a fine specimen at Bishop’s Palace in Ely, planted in the 17th century.
1 Bark
The bark has a distinctive camouflage pattern, with plates of brown, grey, mustard yellow and olive green that flake away to reveal new colours as the tree grows.
2 Leaves
Leaves are simple and maple-like. When they are forming in spring they produce lots of irritating short hairs called trichome fibres (the cause of the infamous ‘Chelsea cough’ at the flower show in May).
3 Bud arrangement
The buds are arranged alternately along the stem. In winter they are smooth, shiny and cone-shaped, and may have a red sheen.
4 Seed balls
Perfectly round seed balls hang from the tree in bunches, becoming particularly visible in winter after the leaves drop.
5 Silhouette
Tall, with a long, straight trunk and rounded crown. Planes are often pollarded in cities.