The word 'Plane' is derived from
the old Greek term, which refers to the broad leaf on the tree.
In the USA the American Plane is known as the "Sycamore" or
"Buttonwood" (not to be confused with the British Sycamore (Acer
pseudoplatanus).
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This handsome ornamental tree is
planted in many cities and towns to enhance streets and parks. It is a particularly characteristic tree of London, where it contributes enormously to
green up the urban landscape, a task for which it well suited. It has
successfully survived the tough polluted conditions, which London has suffered
since the Industrial Revolution until the introduction of the Clean Air Act, for
hundreds of years. The fact that the bark renews itself, by peeling off in plates,
aids the tree's resistance to airborne pollution, because this prevents the
pores from getting clogged up. Many of the large Planes which grace London's
squares, streets and parks were planted over 200 years ago as the city expanded.
Good examples of larger trees can be found in Berkeley Square, Kew, Kenwood,
Ravensbury Park and Morden.
Some sources say this hybrid between the Oriental Plane and the American Plane
originated in Spain or France around 1650, but there is also a possibility that
it originated in the Tradescant nursery garden in Lambeth, south London. John
Tradescendant the younger (1608 -1662) was a gardener to Charles I and inherited
the nursery his Father had established for the study of plants. Both P.
occidentalis and P. orientalis are on record as having grown in this
garden, so it is a real possibility that the London Plane did originate here.
The first description of the tree in Great Britain, which we have in writing, is
from the Oxford Botanical Gardens in 1670.
The lovely stature of the Plane and its attractive bark have also made it a
popular choice for many large gardens and country parks. The tree is less
commonly found north of the Pennines. It is hardy in
most areas in Britain, but does not thrive in the North, as the summers are not
long or hot enough.
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The
London Plane is a tall handsome tree with unusual bark, which peels off in large
plates revealing patches of creamy white; deeply palmately lobed leaves and
spiky globular fruits, which hang in threes or fours on a single stalk. In
cities and towns the tree is often pruned, but where it is allowed to grow
freely, it will make a magnificent round crown with large twisting branches. The shade, which these trees throw, is often not too dense,
allowing a lovely play of light and shade on a sunny day. The
trunk can become heavily burred with age in some trees. A couple of 300 year old trees have
now reached a height of about 45 meters in Great Britain. And since
these trees are still full of vigour, it is likely that the London Plane may
well become the biggest tree in Southern Britain in the future.
I. M. Chengappa says: "It is relevant that the oriental plane is often the
largest native broadleaf tree in Western Asia and southern Europe, and the
occidental plane holds the same position in the eastern USA. Both of these
planes can have trunks with girth exceeding 12 meters (about 40 feet). Growth
rates of younger roadside trees in London can be fairly low, such as about
2-3.5cm of girth per year, as these trees often grow under difficult conditions.
Given reasonable soils and conditions much faster growth is possible; 5cm per
year should be seen as normal."
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The London Plane is a hybrid
between the Oriental Plane (P. orientalis) and the American Plane (P.
occidentalis) Yellowish male catkins and female crimson catkins grow on the
same tree and blossom in May. The round spiky fruits hang all winter long on the
tree, but the seed of the hybrid has a very low viability in Britain and is more
often propagated by cuttings or by stool layering.
Seeds can be collected in winter or early spring, planted in a cold-frame and
any resulting seedlings kept in the greenhouse for their first winter. Of course the plants obtained
this way could loose their hybrid vigour. You should get a much higher success
rate with cuttings, as even sticks used as beanpoles, have rooted. Cuttings of
about 25-30 cm can be taken in the autumn, once the leaves have fallen, and put
in the open ground or in cold-frames in the spring. Successful seedlings can be
transplanted the next autumn, but are best kept in a frost-free environment over
the winter. Using the stool-layering method in spring or autumn (= cutting the
stem and then earthing up the new stems, so they grow roots) takes about 1 year
to obtain rooted plants.
The
Plane does not like shade and requires a sunny open position. The tree tolerates drought, wet, pollution, compacted
soils, virtually never blows down in a storm and rarely suffers from serious
pests or diseases. It responds well to repeated pruning even if this is carried
out badly. Furthermore, it is also amazingly tolerant to root disturbance and it
is possible to move trees, which are as high as up to 5 meters without too much
trouble.
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The ancient Greek herbalist
Dioscorides (First Century A.D.) warned that us that the little hairs or down
from the leaves and seed-balls, falling from the Tree in summer into eyes and
ears "doth hurt the hearing and the sight". It can cause conjunctival
and nasopharyngeal irritation, hayfever and strong allergic reactions in some
people. The Plane has also caused 'woodcutter's eczema' occasionally in
sensitive individuals. Another thing to beware of is that the spiky fruits can
cause mechanical damage to animals who eat them. It is therefore sensible to
take care about the location of the trees and not to plant any in children's
playgrounds or to prune the tree in summer.
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This
is a picture of the famous Plane tree of Hippocrates which stands in front of the
ancient Castle of the Knights, at the centre of Kos town on the Greek island of
Kos.
It is a huge tree, with a
perimeter of twelve meters, which is considered to be the largest in Europe.
The
inhabitants claim that it was planted by Hippocrates, the greatest doctor in
antiquity, who used to teach under its shade. Hippocrates
was a celebrated Greek physician who lived around 400 BC. He is often called
“the father of medicine” and his famous “Hippocratic Oath” was for
millennia the ethical foundation of the doctor- patient relationships.
According to tradition, the
Apostle Paul also taught there.
Holiday makers to Kos can attend cultural festivals,
which are held around the tree each
summer.
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The wood of the Plane is quite
tough, reasonably hard, difficult to split and fine grained. It is often known
as 'lace-wood' because of the delicate tracery of the grain patterns. It is
however not durable for outside projects and not esteemed for carpentry. Another
drawback is that the sapwood is liable to be attacked by the common furniture
beetle.
It is
useful for indoor joinery; light internal construction work; furniture; cabinet
making; veneering and inlay work,
because of its attractive appearance and because it can be brought to a fine
finish, as well as taking a high polish. This hard wood has been much used
by London piano builders for parts of the mechanism.
It has also been used as wood-pulp for various products such as paper.
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The leaves, harvested when young
and fresh in late spring and early summer and can be dried for use throughout
the year. They have Astringent, Ophthalmic, and Vulnerary properties. Their
traditional uses were:
Conjunctivitis and eye inflammations: a poultice of the fresh bruised
Plane leaves is applied to the eyes several times a day.
Dysentery and Diarrhoea: A decoction is brewed by simmering the leaves
for 5-10 minutes. Drink frequently. The bark boiled in vinegar has also been
used for the same complaints.
Wounds: Apply a cream made from the leaves
Chilblains: Treat regularly with a cream made from the leaves.
Hernias: Plane tree bark boiled in vinegar.
Toothache: Rinse and gargle frequently with Plane tree bark boiled in
vinegar.
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The American Plane has been tapped
for its sap in the USA, which can be used similarly to Maple Syrup. The American
Plane has also been used as a producer of biomass, because it has an excellent
rate of growth on good soils. This is done by cutting the young trees down,
which then throw up several stems, which are harvested every year.
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Oriental Plane (Platanus
orientalis) - native
from south-eastern Europe to northern Persia.
American Plane or Buttonwood (Platanus occidentalis) - native to eastern
North America.
Please see the Plane website below for other Plane species.
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There is an admirable website
made by I.M. Chengappa dedicated to the London Plane. Its pages describe
plane trees, particularly those grown in London. Apart from the forms known
together as the 'London Plane tree', it has descriptions of other forms of
Platanus found in Greater London. The site also has photographs of leaves,
shoots and fruit of some of the forms, as well as interesting bits of
information about the tree, which cannot easily be found elsewhere.
Plane tree, I honour thee!
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