Leaves and fruit in late summer. Note the glossy leaf.
(sometimes called Platanus 'Pyramidalis')
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Leaves and fruit in late summer. Note the glossy leaf.
Many of London's trees are of this variety. While Bean is not sure of what species to place this under, the European Garden Flora lists it as a form of P. x acerifolia. Some nurseries supply it under the name P. orientalis 'Pyramidalis', which it definitely is not.
Tree - A large tree, but tending to be more wide-spreading and not as tall as other forms. Most commonly seen with a relatively short length of clear trunk.
Bark - The bark flakes in patches on trunk and older branches, leaving a dappled trunk. However this flaking often happens less frequently on the trunk and other oldest wood; this results in the bark becoming rugged, collecting dirt and appearing darker than the crown of the tree. The bark is also often especially thickened, dark and rugged below the point where branches join the trunk.
Trunk - On mature trees, the trunk is often irregularly shaped. Some fluting may occur, and a number of irregularities mark past branch junctions. Sometimes in the oldest trees, fluting can be followed into the trunk down from the major branches, and up from the major roots.
Crown - The branches tend to be straight in comparison with most other planes, and branching is angular. Young trees have a pyramidal shape until lower branches are removed. Mature trees often have many major limbs radiating upwards from a point between 2 to 4 meters above ground, (often looking as if they have been pollarded when young).
Shoot and young leaves - These are covered in down as in all planes, shed on mature tissue. Stipules are shed early during growth. The leaves are moderately affected by anthracnose and many early leaves are damaged by this in London. (P. orientalis and its varieties are little affected by this disease.)
Leaf shape - Leaves are commonly seen with 3-5 palmate lobes, central lobe usually as long as wide, with a few teeth. The leaf size on typical leaves can be 15 to 18cm wide and long. The tips of the lobes are often turned upward. (Leaf shape is variable, both between clones and within a clone; see detailed accounts of the other forms for contrasts.)
Leaf colour - This is usually a dark glossy green above, paler below, somewhat to quite glossy. The leaf colour and sheen can often be used to tell the tree at a distance.
Axillary buds - These are typically 7-9mm across at the base, 9-12mm long, conical to ovoid with a blunt tip. They are green after leaf fall, the bud becoming purple on exposure to light. Terminal buds are longer, up to 13 mm long, and with a rounded tip.
Fruits - Flowers and fruit are borne in groups of 1-2 on a stem on short lateral growths, and they can be up to 40 mm across. (In most other forms the fruits are smaller, and often more than 2 fruits can be found on each stem.)
The shape of the tree and the branching habit are not good, in fact it is quite poor on older trees. The trunk often does not produce the dappled bark for which planes are renowned. But the rich green glossy leaf is probably the best of any of the planes. Often the colour of the crown can clearly distinguish this form from others, which look yellowish by comparison. Despite the leaf colour, this is an inferior tree, especially in its shape in maturity.
It is probably as widespread as it is because of its ease of propagation, and because it looks better when young. Extensive plantings can be seen in parkland, sometimes of similar clones, as well as among street trees. The tree continues still to be widely planted, and many of the younger trees seen in London are of this or closely related varieties. It would be a pity if it continued to be established in places where the other, better shaped clones could be used.
Bean makes specific mention of the trees in Green Park, which are mixed in avenues in the park with other London Planes. It can be seen here that Pyramidalis makes a distincly shorter tree than the other common forms which are presumably of the same age and planting.
There are many trees that show some but not all of the characteristics of this tree. Some of these may be due to age; it is often difficult to be certain of this tree with young specimens, and it is easiest with the more mature ones.
In the shape of the leaves and in the size and number of the fruits, this form is closer to the Western plane than the other varieties seen in London.
| Place | Description | Location map |
|---|---|---|
| Green Park, SW1 | The double avenue of planes leading north-west from the Queen Victoria Memorial, at Buckingham Palace, is composed of a mix of Pyramidalis with the London Form. The distinction between these two forms is very obvious here, probably more so now than when Bean first made his observations. | Streetmap |
| London Fields, E8 | This park is dominated by mature specimens of Pyramidalis, forming a collection of some of the largest specimens of this form. A very few other specimens of other varieties can be found here as well. | Streetmap |
| Clapham Common, SW11 | On the south side of Clapham Common West Side; a row af trees (there are many others elsewhere on the Common as well). | Streetmap |
| Greenwich Park, SE10 | There are a number of Pyramidalis in this park, mostly on the slope north and east of the observatory going down to the river. A good specimen is indicated on the map. | Streetmap |
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19-Feb-2007