London Plane Tree Podcast Script

You have probably seen the London Plane Tree in many city parks, along streets, and over large lawns. Also known as the American Planetree, Buttonwood, and Buttonball Tree, this North American native is a hybrid cross between the American sycamore and the Oriental planetree.

One of the first things that will grab your attention about the London Plane Tree is the bark. It sheds as the plant grows more mature, giving a nice mosaic texture of olive green, cream, and light brown. Looking up the strait, tall trunk, one will find spreading branches that generally create a rounded overall shape to the tree. The leaves are large, getting up to 10" in width and 6-7" long. They have 3 - 5 lobes per leaf and are maple-leaf-like in shape. One of the more well-known features of the London Plane Tree is its small round puff-ball like seed clusters that hang from its bare branches throughout the winter. The tree gets to be quite huge, anywhere between 60 and 100 feet tall with an 80 foot spread, and so needs to be planted in a very roomy environment.

As I mentioned earlier, the London Plane Tree is commonly found in large cities. This is because of its huge adaptability. This deciduous tree, although best suited for deep, moist, fertile soil, can be found in almost any habitat and grows well under a variety of conditions. It can be easily transplanted, and, despite its fast growth rate of 36 inches per season, grows strong branches that can endure the terrible hardship of kids climbing on them. The shedding of the bark makes the London Plane Tree resistant to air borne pollution, and you will find that it is also resistant to soot, drought, dust, wind, reflected heat, and compacted soils, making it very suitable for large urban environments and parks where people want a nice looking shade tree. It is however, susceptible to several diseases including powdery mildew, sycamore lacebug, and the american plum borer, which often cut its 150+ life span short.

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