The following list is of some plane trees in London that cannot be 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.

• Angel, Islington. A number of somewhat unusual young trees can be seen in the group at the junction of City Road and Goswell Street. These have thick fissured bark, and leaves that are not as hairy as most planes.
• Barking. in Rippleside Cemetery, there is a tree near the main entrance, probably a form of the Oriental plane, with distinctive deeply cut leaves.
• Brookmill Park, Lewisham. Contains a single young 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.
• Eccleston Square, Belgravia. Within the gardens of the square a very distinctive, pendulous form can be seen. This square is private but the tree can be seen from the surrounding roads, from a few yards away.
• Edmonton, N18. On the housing estate car park areas on the west side of Tanners End Lane, N18 are two trees of 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. Some similar trees can be seen elsewhere, including specimens of similar age at St. Mary's Garden in Pearson Street, E2, both on the roadside frontage, and in the grounds behind the site building.
• Greenwich. The grounds of the National Maritime Museum contain a number of distinct forms, probably derived from seed raised specimens. Most of these have been pollarded, so that their true shape can no longer be seen.
• Highgate. Pond Square, off Pond Street, in Highgate Village contains some young unusual forms. In particular, there is a densely foliaged, deeply lobed form, resembling P. orientalis Digitata somewhat in leaf shape, but clearly distinct from this in many other characteristics.
• Hyde Park. On 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 (OS coordinates). 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.
• 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 forms, some rather resembling the Oriental plane.
• 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, perhaps of P. orientalis. The old oriental plane tree by the Orangery (to its west), has foliage resembling that of P. orientalis Digitata, but is not the same clone.
• Highbury Fields. Contains some distinctive and notable hybrid plane 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. These trees are quite tall, and make a single prominent mass, clearly visible from King Henry's mound in Richmond Park. Other similar trees can be found along this towpath. These may correspond to the form 'Westminster'.
• Victoria Embankment, 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. A number of distinct forms can be seen elsewhere on Victoria Embankment, some of these resembling P. orientalis. See also Chelsea Embankment, above.
• Westminster Cemetery, East Finchley. 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. Both had low branched contorted crowns and the trunks suckering even in heavy shade. Unfortunately the trunks of both are covered in ivy.

Return to index page

6-September-2009