Species

Platanus x acerifolia

Common Name(s)

London plane

Authority

Platanus x acerifolia (Aiton) Willd.

Family

Platanaceae

Brief Description

Large deciduous tree, monoecious. London plane (P. x acerifolia) has P. orientalis as one parent; it has leaves less deeply lobed than in P. orientalis, and 5-lobed cf. 5-7 lobes. The seed balls typically two [(1)-2-(4)] per stem cf. 3-6 in P. orientalis. Bark peels in large flakes at irregular intervals producing a characteristic mottled or camouflage pattern

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Habitat

An urban weed usually found near plantings of this species. However, now actively spreading, and as the seed is wind and water dispersed this hybrid is becoming more common in situations well away from old plantings.

Features

Deciduous tree up to 35 m high; trunk and branches upright to spreading and forming a slightly pyramidal to round crown of open branches; bark light brown, exfoliating on large trunks into creamy, olive and yellow patches. Young shoots and leaves covered in dense pale brown stellate hairs; twigs with moderate zig-zag, green at first, becoming grey-brown, glabrate or glabrous; buds conical, reddish, covered with a single cap-like scale. Petiole 5–8 cm long. Leaves alternate,10–26 × 12–30 cm, green above, paler below; palmate, (3–)5(–7) lobed, lobes triangular to triangular-ovate, similar length to width, extending to c. 1/3 of distance to midrib; base truncate to cordate; margin entire or with 1–4 teeth on each side of lobe. Inflorescence rachis pendulous, up to 13(–25) cm long at fruiting; peduncles very short. Flowers in 1–3(–4) globular heads, monoecious, numerous. Fruiting heads 1.8–3.0 cm diam., bristly at first, becoming smooth as styles break off, comprising multiple achenes. Achenes conical, yellowish brown, with hairs on surface.

Similar Taxa

Oriental plane - Platanus orientalis (q.v.)

Flowering

October

Flower Colours

Green

Fruiting

January

Year Naturalised

1981

Origin

Europe. Cultivated hybrid

Reason for Introduction

Ornamental, shade

Control Techniques

Sullivan et al. (2002) showed that seedlings appear only rarely and they expressed no concern about the spread of London planes.

Reason For Introduction

Ornamental

Life Cycle Comments

Long lived tree

Reproduction

Exclusively by seed and seed is short-lived and dispersed by wind, gravity and water.

Tolerances

Cold and moderately drought tolerant.

References and further reading

Sullivan, J., Cameron, E.K., Armstrong, T., Murray, B. 2002. The puzzle of wild London plane trees Platanus x acerifolia in downtown Auckland. Auckland Botanical Society Journal, 57: 99-101

This page last updated on 14 Jul 2016