“…has been shown to be an efficient air purifier in cities.”– Economic and Ethnobotanical Uses
Platanus x hispanica (Harding, 2024a)
Platanus x hispanica may also be referred to as Platanus x acerifolia or Platanus x hybrida (Hull, 2009). The name P. x hispanica can be traced back to Phillip Miller and Otto von Münchhausen in the 18th century (Münchhausen, 1765). It was called P. x acerifolia by Carl Lundwig von Willdenow (Linnaeus, 1797) after being known as P. orientalis var. acerifolia, as a variety of one of the parent species (Aiton, 1789).
It is very difficult to distinguish between Platanus x hispanica and its parent plant Platanus occidentalis, and some botanists do not agree that they are distinct entities (Welsh, 2003). The lobes of Platanus x hispanica’s leaves are longer than P. occidentalis’, and it has two fruits per stalk. Its bark has more green to it (Kaul, 2020). Platanus occidentalis also has shallower lobes (Kershner, 2008).
London planetree’s assumed parent species, Platanus occidentalis and Platanus orientalis, come from different sides of the world. Platanus occidentalis, the American sycamore, was brought over to Europe by New World explorers, while P. orientalis, the Oriental plane, is native to southeastern Europe. The two species probably crossbred in the Vauxhall garden, which is where the hybrid was discovered by John Tradescant the Younger in the 1600’s (Venables, 2015).
Native
Introduced
London Plane is known for being a vigorous grower (Henry & Flood, 1919). It can tolerate environmental stressors such as pollution with minimal damage (Dineva, 2004), and sheds its bark to free itself of accumulated pollutants and disease carriers (MSPC, 2021). This tree does better with warm summers. Cooler conditions in the summer can make it more susceptible to the widespread tree disease anthracnose, which is caused by a microscopic fungus called Apiognomonia veneta (Ivanová, 2007).
This is a cultivated species and thus does not have a status rank (NatureServe, 2024).
