Scientific Name:
Platanus x acerifolia
( syn.
P. x hispanica
)
Pronunciation:
PLAT-uh-nus ay-ser-ih-FOH-lee-a
Common Name:
London plane
Family Name:
Platanaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, ovate, most blades 10-18cm long x 10-23cm wide, sugar maple-like with 3 major toothed lobes that are about long as wide; petiole has hollow end that hides bud. Winter ID: fruit clusters mostly in pairs - a round fuzzy ball 3-4cm wide of many achenes (some may drop before the "multiple fruit" falls off); buds red, smooth, 5mm long; bark exfoliating, looks like army camouflage; branches zig-zag.
Habit:
Irregular, Open, Spreading
Form:
Columnar, Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
22 - 30m
Mature Spread:
15 - 25m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Garden origin (P. orientalis × P. occidentalis (lobes wider than long; fruit culsters usually solitary) )
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 6: (-23 to -18 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Shade tree, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree)
Additional Info:
Google. Also widely known as P. x hispanica (and many autorites have dropped the 'x' in the scientific name). Some images are of P. ‘Bloodgood’ (smaller group of trees in TFL).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Brown
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cordate, Truncate
Margins:
Dentate, Palmately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Spike, Head-like
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Yellow, Green, Red
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Fruit Type:
Achene, Multiple fruit
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Round cluster of achenes with sterile seed (locally, these balls often fall off the tree as a unit so they can also be considered a multiple fruit)
Bark Morphology:
Showy, Exfoliating, Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
White, Grey, Olive, Tan
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid
Propagation:
Seed, Hardwood cuttings
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Mildew, Root rot (Deer resistant)
Specific Pests:
Apiognomonia veneta (plant resistant cultivars only)
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- HORT 1155
- Level 2 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLS) Turf Field Lab South : q.1
- (TFLW) Turf Field Lab West : q.4 cv. Bloodgood