The London Plane Tree, or London Planetree, is a hybrid between a species of sycamore and planetree. It has unique, peeling bark, in a variety of colors. The trunk is mostly white, but can also contain brown, red, and even green. New leaves on the London Plane are hairy and fuzzy to the touch, but mature into a smooth, flat leaf by summertime. This tree is especially popular in cities because of its aesthetically pleasing appearance and easy to prune branches.
Foliage
These leaves are green through spring and summer, but turn yellow and orange in the fall. They look extremely similar to maple leaves, and can get confused for one another. It is best to identify the source of the leaf, which can provide much needed context and identifiable information
Seeds or Cones
Round seed pods hang in pairs from slender stems. These seed pods are consistent of hundreds of individual, fluffy seeds, which can be extracted by plucking them out of the sphere, or stomping on the entire seed ball
All illustrations by A.S. Longman
Did you know?
The London Planetree makes up more than 10% of all trees in New York City, and as a result was placed on a restricted planting list so as not to overpopulate the city with one dominant species.
Download your own QR code here! On a phone, tap and hold to save. On a computer, right click. See the "make a sign" page for detailed instructions on how to make your own sign, and access additional tools!