Tree of the Week

First in a new series – its Tree of the Week! Each week I will choose a tree that has seasonal interest of some kind and give just a few ways of identifying it.

Week 1 - Platanus x hispanica, the London Plane

Tree of the Week kicks off in style with a common street tree that has it all. This time of year it looks like the branches have been hung with thousands of baubles; these are the fruit which will release their seed in Spring. Silhouetted against the winter sky they make the canopy of the tree unmistakeable. The ‘camouflage gear’ bark marks this tree out all year round and helps it tolerate pollution by shedding the build up of particles as it flakes off in layers. A great city-dweller, it also puts up with drought and compacted soil. They grow to more than 30m, can exceed 200 years old and have been widely grown in this country since the 1600s. It sets fertile seed and can be pollarded.

For more detailed information, try Kew Gardens.