Plant
London Plane
Platanus hispanicaAlso known as Hybrid Plane, London Plane Tree
London plane trees dominate city avenues across the globe, easily recognized by their flaking, camouflage-patterned bark shedding in cream, green, and brown patches. A fertile hybrid between American sycamores and Oriental planes, these long-lived giants excel at filtering urban air pollution and tolerating heavily compacted soil. In winter, spherical seed balls hang from bare branches on long, thread-like stalks, providing forage for finches and other wintering birds.
DeciduousUrban TreeHybrid
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyPhotosynthetic
Predators
- Plane Lace Bug
- Sycamore Seed Bug
- Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner
ThreatsPlane anthracnose fungus, massaria disease, severe root compaction
HabitatsUrban streets, city parks, riverbanks, temperate woodlands
Life span300–500 years
Classification
- OrderProteales
- FamilyPlatanaceae
- GenusPlatanus
- SpeciesPlatanus hispanica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Shedding leaf hairs and pollen in spring can irritate sensitive eyes and airways.
Responsible observation
- Bark Identification: Look for the distinctive patch-patterned bark shedding in jigsaw-like olive, tan, and cream plates.
- Spring Caution: Avoid standing under young unfurling leaves if sensitive to airborne trichomes.
- Winter Observation: Spot dangling seed balls that linger on bare winter branches long after leaves fall.
Parent Species uncredited / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Parent Species no rights reserved, uploaded by Andy Wilson · cc0
Visual Similar (c) Willow, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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