(P. acerifolia)
London plane
This is a vigorous tall growing tree much admired in the streets and parks of London where it achieves a height in maturity of around 100ft. It is easily pruned back if it gets too big in a street context depriving properties of light and covering cars with secretions from the greenfly, thrips and other insects which inhabit its leaves. It readily reshoots.
However the main attraction of this deciduous tree is its flaking brown, grey and cream bark in very varying permutations through the year. Its leaves have three or five lobes and are up to 14in long. An acer-like leaf arrangement and hence its other Latin name.
The flowers from this tree are notorious for causing sneezing and hay fever during the Chelsea show as its downy flowers disintegrate in the wind in clouds of pollen. The rounded burr-like fruit clusters hang like baubles on its branches right through the winter and on into spring.
