Plane trees are mainly found in the northern hemisphere. They are the only genus in the sycamore family. Their size is given as eight types. We take a closer look at the three best-known representatives.

The oriental plane tree has a particularly beautiful crown

American plane tree - Platanus occidentalis

Another name is western plane tree. This tree species is native to eastern North America. It can now also be found on other continents. Here, this plane tree is often used as an ornamental tree in parks or as street planting. It is less suitable for gardens because it takes up a lot of space or, alternatively, regular and extensive pruning.

  • can grow up to 50 m high
  • reaches a trunk circumference of about 4.5 m
  • blooms like all plane trees in April and May
  • the light green leaves are reminiscent of vine leaves

London Plane - Platanus x hispanica

The leaves of this plane tree are visually reminiscent of the maple tree. That's where the name comes from. However, these two tree species are not related, in addition to the leaf similarity, there are also numerous differences. The maple-leaved plane tree is said to be a mixture of the American and Oriental plane trees. Today it is distributed in North America, Europe and Asia.

  • is also called common plane tree
  • can live up to 300 years
  • reaches a height of 30 m
  • and a crown diameter of about 25 m
  • with age, the lower branches droop
  • the leaves, up to 25 cm in size, remain green until late autumn

This species is popular for planting in parks and roadsides in urban areas because of its resilience to increasing air pollution.

tips

The pruning-tolerant and hardy plane tree is also suitable for a private garden. Her crown is easy to trim to an attractive roof shape.

Oriental plane tree - Platanus orientalis

This plane tree is also known as the oriental plane tree, since the heat-loving tree originally comes from the Orient. The natural range of the oriental plane tree extends from the Balkans to Syria and Iran. The Greeks also called this species of plane tree the philosopher's tree, since numerous philosophical discussions were held under its shady crown. These are their characteristics of the deciduous tree:

  • grows to an average height of 30 m
  • with a trunk diameter of about 3.5 m
  • Crown circumference can reach up to 50
  • Branches initially grow upwards in an arc
  • with age, lower or strong branches can lean towards the ground
  • in summer the leaves are rich green
  • tinted light brown to bronze in autumn

With its wide crown, this species of plane tree is unsuitable for street planting and for smaller gardens.

Category:

Trees