London plane (Platanus x hispanica): what the forestry bodies record

This page reports what forestry bodies say about one tree. It does not identify trees from descriptions or photos and does not say what should be done with any tree. Each fact names its source, all read on October 9, 2026. The American parent of the hybrid has its own page, American sycamore, from the US federal handbook.

At a glance

Item	What the source records
Scientific name and family	Platanus x hispanica, family Platanaceae (Woodland Trust). Forest Research files it as Platanus x acerifolia (Aiton) Willd., code LPL, and gives Platanus x hispanica as the other commonly used name.
Origin	Non-native hybrid of Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Height and age	The Woodland Trust says it can grow to 35 m and live for several hundred years. Forest Research says individual trees on favourable sites in southern Britain have been nearly 50 m tall and over 250 years old.
Forest Research status	A plot-stage species: one that showed positive silvicultural traits at the specimen stage and is tested in a limited number of trial plots
Cold hardiness	Hardy to -29 degrees Celsius, but sensitive to exposure, particularly to cold drying winds (Forest Research)

Origin of the hybrid

Forest Research says the tree is generally thought to have a garden origin in Oxford in the 17th century, with some disputed evidence of an origin in Spain, which is why Platanus x hispanica is also used. The Woodland Trust gives a London story instead: one of each parent species had been planted in the nursery garden of John Tradescant the younger and cross-pollinated, and he noticed the hybrid in the mid-17th century. It says planting across London started in the late 18th century. The sources therefore differ on where it first appeared, and both say the Oriental plane and American sycamore are the parents.

EUFORGEN, the European forest genetic resources programme, describes the Oriental plane parent as a long-lived relict species in Europe that is tolerant of air pollution, compacted soils and root disturbance. It says cultivation of the Oriental plane is limited by frost sensitivity and because hybrids are favoured, especially in central and western Europe. It also lists hybridisation with London plane among the threats to wild Oriental plane populations.

Site and silviculture

Forest Research says London plane grows best on soils of medium to rich nutrient status and slightly dry to moist soil moisture. It can grow on drier soils and is reasonably drought tolerant, and it is not suited to very wet or alkaline soils. It describes a fast-growing species of intermediate shade tolerance. Viable seed starts at under 10 years of age and comes at regular intervals after that, with occasional natural regeneration observed. Seedlings can be raised from seed, hardwood cuttings or root suckers. The entry says there is little silvicultural knowledge of growing it as a productive forest tree in Britain, and names interest in it as a possible alternative to ash on some sites. It expects the main use to be in urban forests because of its resilience to air pollution and water shortages.

Bark, leaves and fruit

The Woodland Trust describes olive green to grey bark in large scaly plates that peel off to show creamy bark beneath, giving a camouflage-style pattern, and says the bark breaks away in large flakes, which is the reason given for the tree coping with high air pollution. Leaves are leathery and thick with five triangular lobes and unserrated edges, turning orange-yellow before they fall. Male and female flowers are ball-shaped and sit on the same tree on different stems. The spiky fruit clusters break up slowly over winter and release seeds with stiff hairs that aid dispersal by wind. Forest Research notes that the young leaves and the seed shed short hairs that can be an irritant when breathed in and can make breathing problems worse, particularly for people with asthma.

Uses and wildlife

The Woodland Trust calls it a common tree in London and a widely planted street tree in large cities because it adapts to urban conditions and resists pollution. It cites the London Tree Report, which lists London plane among the most important species in Inner London and says it has the largest leaf area of any species there. Forest Research calls the timber lacewood, for its attractive grain; the Woodland Trust says the wood was once popular for veneers, golden-brown with dark brown flecks. The Woodland Trust says very little wildlife is associated with the tree, though grey squirrels and birds may eat the seeds and birds such as rooks nest in it.

Pests and diseases the sources name

Forest Research says plane trees are commonly affected by anthracnose, caused by the fungus Apiognomonia veneta, which mostly causes only shoot and leaf death but can sometimes be severe. It names two more fungal diseases that are significant in Europe and could become very damaging to plane in the United Kingdom: canker stain, also called plane tree wilt, caused by Ceratocystis platani, and Massaria disease, which it says attacks the bark and cambium on branches of London plane and causes sudden branch breakage. It says both are notifiable and that suspected cases in mainland Britain are reported through TreeAlert. The Woodland Trust names plane anthracnose and canker stain as threats.

This site has a profile for each: anthracnose of plane, canker stain of plane and Massaria disease of plane. The sap-feeding insect that the agencies record on plane has its own page, plane lace bug.

Text on Forest Research is adapted from its tree species database entry and contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.