London Plane Trees at the Rec - January 2026

THE NOT SO PLAIN TREE

The tree we're looking at here is the magnificent London Plane tree (Platanus acerifolia), of which there are a couple of specimens at the Rec... and it's a tree that is anything but plain!  The London Plane is actually a hybridization between the Oriental Plane (Platanus orientalis) and American Plane (Platanus occidentalis), which is thought to have occurred in 17th century Europe. Theories suggest France, Spain or possibly London itself. The cross fertilisation is believed to have happened naturally, through the planting of both parent trees in close proximity, in gardens and estates.

The photographs of the trees in the Rec have all been taken recently, after they shed their leaves, but fortunately this is a species that's easy to identify in any season.

Probably the most distinctive feature of this tree is its bark, which is the same throughout the year. It has a mottled appearance; the olive-green to grey outer bark is shed in plaques to reveal the patches of cream, and yellow, which is the newer growth beneath, as shown in the photo.

As the tree grows and its girth increases, the relatively inflexible outer bark cracks and breaks away. This enables the tree to shed any pollutants which maybe obstructing the absorption of air through the surface lenticles (tiny breathing pores), and as a consequence, contribute to the health of the tree. It's hence known as a 'self-cleaning' tree. The ability to thrive in polluted environments led to the trees being commonly planted in cities, especially London, which is how it came to be given its common name.

Another very visible feature are the seed balls. The flowers that appear in the spring are fairly inconspicuous, both male and female flowers occurring as small spheres on long stalks, and both on the same tree. The female flowers are red and having been fertilised by the wind, develop into the characteristic spiky brown seed balls that are so visible in winter. Hanging on their long stalks, in small clumps of 2 or 3, they look for all the world like Christmas baubles.

Each seedball consists of hundreds of seeds which have stiff hairs attached to aid dispersal. The spheres gradually ripen and break up to release the seeds during the winter and spring. This seedball and its shed seeds were on the path just below the tree in the playing field. (See photo) The second photo shows a single seed; it's tiny and dark, at the base of the bristles. The single seed is contained within its own capsule. and together they form what is known as an achene. Under suitable conditions, the seed germinates within the capsule and the first root pushes its way out.

The buds are red and round and grow alternately along the twigs. The new growth twigs, as with many species, are a reddish brown. The white ring seen in the photo below represents the point at which new growth began last spring, and is the scar left by the pseudoterminal bud scale. Scales protect tender buds until they sprout, then drop off leaving the scar as seen here.

The leaves of the London Plane are very similar to those of a sycamore and other maple trees.  The shape of the leaf is referred to as palmate, because they resemble an open palm with fingers. In this instance, they usually have 5 pointed lobes with toothed edges. They are large, leathery and thick with a noticeable leaf stalk. The underside of younger leaves are covered in fine hairs, but less so as they age. In autumn, the leaves turn to yellow and brown.

This stupendous species can grow up to 35 metres and live for several hundred years. The largest of its type in this country, is the Great Plane at Mottisfont Abbey, our nearest National Trust property just outside Romsey. It is thought to have been planted around 1740 by the then owner, Sir Richard Mill. It has a girth of 12m with branches that cover 1,500 square metres.

All of the foliage you see in this photo is just of this one amazing. tree, but photos don't entirely do it justice. It's well worth a visit to Mottisfont to see the real thing, as well as the many other old and venerable trees they have growing in the grounds.

Words and photos: Denise Long