London Plane Tree

Platanus x acerifolia

Owner: Joan Maloney
Nominator: Joan Maloney
Height: 21.5 m (70.5 ft)
Diameter: 83.15 cm (32.7 in)
Circumference: 261.1 cm (102.8 in)

Description

The London Plane Tree is thought to be a hybrid of the Oriental Plane Tree (Planatus orientalis) and the American Sycamore (Planatus occidentalis). It typically grows to heights of 20-35 m, occasionally reaching heights over 40 m tall. The leaf and flower characteristics are intermediate between the two parent species, the leaf being more deeply lobed than the American Sycamore but less so than P. orientalis, and typically having 2 seed balls per stem (one in American Sycamore, 3-6 in P. orientalis. The London Plane tree is very tolerant of urban air pollution and root compaction, making it an ideal street tree for urban centres in temperate regions of the world including Chicago, Madrid, Paris, London, Sydney, and Shanghai. It is fairly wind-resistant and the seeds are a food source for finches and squirrels.(Source: Wikipedia )

London Plane Tree leaf and seed (Source: Wikipedia )