Other clones

The following list is of some plane trees in London that cannot be easily fitted into one of the described taxons. In some cases this may be because they have not been properly identified. Some other noteworthy trees that I am not certain of the name of are also included here.

• Berkeley Square (West End). The square contains a number of large plane trees, most showing a distinct bulge at the base of the trunk, between 1 and 2 m above ground level.
• Brookmill Park (Lewisham). Contains a single upright or semi-fastigiate tree, in a shrub bed near the playground.
• Chelsea. Along Chelsea Embankment many of the trees appear to be seed raised variants, few of any distinction, but different from the more commonly seen forms. This has been referred to by Bean, who suggests that these might be seed-raised specimens imported from France, and planted in the 1860s and 1870s.
• Clapham Common. Alongside Long Road, at the eastern side of the common there are some planes showing markedly enlarged boles compared to the rest of the trunk.
• East Finchley. Westminster Cemetery, East End Road. Two distinct oriental plane trees standing in the middle of this cemetery. Both have leaves of which the shape is typical of oriental plane, but they are glossy and thick unlike some other forms in London. The eastern specimen of the two is rather yellower in foliage, strong growing. The other had no fruits or flowers visible. Both had low branched contorted crowns and the trunks suckering even in heavy shade. Unfortunately the trunks of both are covered in ivy.
• Edmonton. On the housing estate car park areas on the west side of Tanners End Lane, N18 are two trees of very distinct appearance. They have leaves with many teeth, sometimes doubly toothed. The leaves are large, to 40cm across, thick, matt and rough, pale green below, deeper green above. The leaves and shoots and are covered with a very dense coating of down or hairs, the down remaining on the mature leaves in June. Stipules are prominent. Shoots are thick and straight, light olive brown to green in winter, with green buds. The branches are sinuous to contorted. Bark does not peel and fall away but remains on the tree, with all branches and trunk more than 5cm thick being covered in bark fissured into small squares. Fruits about 25mm across, 2-5 on a stem. Click here for photos.
• Greenwich. The grounds of the National Maritime Museum contain a number of distinct forms, probably derived from seed raised specimens.
• Highgate. Pond Square, off Pond Street, in Highgate Village contains some newly planted unusual forms.
• Hornsey. Priory Road N8, in grass verge or shrub plantings at north side of road, between the foot of Muswell Hill and running up to Priory Park. This area contains a mixture of plane trees, some being common types, especially the younger ones, but some mature trees being distinct. Many of this collection are common hybrid planes, and there are also some oriental planes.
• Hyde ParkOn the south side of Serpentine Road, opposite the Cavalry memorial, there is a young mature tree of distinctive columnar shape. Location approximately at 52807,180014. Photograph here. As seen in the photo, it has a major fork, but still does not grow outward at that point as most planes do.
• Hyde Park Corner. On the island in the traffic roundabout there are a mixture of different varieties, some probably variants of the oriental plane. I believe that most of these were originally a part of the Green Park plantings.
• Kennington. Kennington Park contains plantings of mature trees of at least 4 different kinds of planes. These include the London Form, Pyramidalis, the 'Palmate leaf form', and specimens of two distinct varieties (orientalis forms?) with massively expanded boles. Click here for pictures of trees with swollen boles.
• Kensington. In Kensington Road by the junction with Palace Road, southeast corner, there is a line of 4 trees in the pavement. These have branches sinuous or even contorted, leaves palmate with deep sinuses and some appearing seven lobed, lobes narrowed at the base and with many teeth. There is also a line of distinctive trees immediately adjacent to the above in Palace Road but behind the property line and pruned too high to be sure if they are the same variety. Possibily P. orientalis.
• Kew. Kew Road in Kew and Richmond has several uncommon forms, likely to be seed raised orientalis.
• Kew (Royal Botanic Garden). The tree identified by Bean, as possibily being the variety 'Palmata' and standing to the north of King Williams Temple is a clearly distinct form, probably of P. orientalis.
• Highbury Fields. Contains some distinctive and notable trees. Includes especially a clone with a fine shaped crown, undulating branches, and deeply lobed leaves. Specimens on the east side opposite Ronalds Road, and on the west side by Baalbeck Road.
• Richmond. On the Thames towpath, by Petersham Meadows. A group of three close-set massive specimens, dark foliage, distinct from other types.
• Westminster. A young tree on Victoria Embankment, by the police station near Westminster underground station, has distinctive features; rugged bark even on younger wood; leaves are broad lobed like Platanus occidentalis. This may be the same clone as the Edmonton trees.
• Westminster. Victoria Embankment. A number of distinct forms can be seen on Victoria Embankment, some of these probably being P. orientalis. See also Chelsea Embankment, above.

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16-June-2007