Platanus x acerifolia is a tree that can withstand the rigors of the urban environment including streets and parking lot islands. London Planetree has exfoliating bark and solid green summer color. It is a utilitarian tree.
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F E A T U R E S |
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Form
-large tree
-to 80' tall x 60' wide
-upright pyramidal to upright oval in youth, becoming irregular and spreading with age
-rapid rate |
Foliage
-alternate 3- to 5-lobed, incised, pubescent, light green-gray
-shape resembles a Sugar Maple leaf
-autumn color brown-yellow to yellowish green; unattractive |
Flowers
-monoecious, insignificant, in Apr. |
Fruit
-tan furry balls, typically found in pairs
-many fruits are winter persistent on 3" pendulous peduncles |
Twig
-gray-green |
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Trunk
-cream and green interior bark, tan-gray exterior exfoliating bark
-green-brown-gray platy lower trunk
-can get to 4' diameter |
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C U L T
U R E
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Culture
-full sun or partial shade
-prefers moist sites but is very adaptable to a variety of soils, compaction, and moisture conditions as well as restricted root space; considered quite tolerant to urban conditions, including air pollution
-widely planted in Europe and becoming more popular in the U.S.
-anthracnose (Gnomonia veneta) is a potentially serious disease that causes severe dieback of the emerging stems and foliage in afflicted trees in mid- to late-spring, and a resulting "witches' broom" of subsequent whorled stems that emerge in early summer; the London Planetree is believed to be more tolerant of anthracnose than the American Sycamore, but is susceptible to powdery mildew
-widely available in B&B form |
Hardiness
-zones 5 to 8
Origin
-believed to be of hybrid origin involving a cross of American Sycamore (P. occidentalis) and Oriental Planetree (P. orientalis), which confers anthracnose resistance and pollution tolerance
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U S A G E |
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Assets
-wet or dry site tolerant
-gray-green exfoliating ornamental bark on trunk and limbs
-urban tolerant in general
Liabilities
-poor autumn color
-exfoliating bark litter, especially in mid-summer
-occasional storm damage
-canker stain is a serious fungal disease
-frost cracks on trunks
-may show leaf scorch in very dry summers
-lace bugs may cause premature defoliation, but do not harm the tree |
Function
-shade, specimen, or focal point tree in open areas
-street and parking lot island tree
Texture
-bold in foliage and when bare
-average density in foliage and open density when bare |
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S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
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Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-trees with ornamental bark
-large shade trees
-trees for wet sites |