London Plane has greyish-brown bark that flakes to leave yellowish patches. It forms a tall stately tree but is often cutback or pollarded. It has pointed, lobed leaves which appear late May. The red-purple female flowers are borne in small round balls on long stalks and mature to produce the rough football type plane fruits that stay on the tree into spring when they disintegrate, making identification easy. A natural hybrid between Platanus orientalis and Platanus occidentalis, the seeds are not always viable but it is a tree that can withstand both winterfrost and pollution, hence it is often found in Cities. This one was pictured in Kensington London - January 2006.
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London Plane
