Castle Howard Arboretum Trust - Furniture Makers Trees

Botanical name: Platanus x hispanica, Platanus x acerfolia

Family: Platanaceae

Common Name: London plane

Habitat and Distribution:

A hybrid between Oriental Plane (P. orientalis) and American Plane P. occidentalis. Grown in town and city streets, parks and gardens in most central and western Europe.

Description:

London plane is a massive deciduous tree that can get more than 30 metres (100 ft) tall with wide-spreading branches that can span 24 metres (80 ft) or more. The shape is pyramidal in youth becoming more wide-spreading with age.

The leaves have 3-7 sharply toothed lobes and are "maple-like", they are 15-18 cm (6-7 in) long and up to 25 cm (10 in) wide with a colour of medium to dark green. In autumn the leaves turn yellow-brown.

Tiny male and female flowers are borne in mid May in separate round clusters, the males being yellow and the females larger and reddish.

The bristly fruits 2.5 cm (1 in) diameter, are borne in clusters of 2-4, and change from green to brown in October.

The bark is distinctive and very ornamentally attractive, it exfoliates in plates, revealing creamy yellow inner bark

Timber:

The timber is fine grained and a pale creamy brown. When cut on the true quarter the rays are clearly seen as a ‘chink’-like figure, it is wood from these cuts that is known as lacewood.

Location within the arboretum:

A pair of specimens is located at the top of the Furniture Makers walk, close to the turreted wall.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

Uses:

Plane is mostly prized for its decorative properties. It is used to make small boxes and chests, for inlay work, veneers and for turning and carving. Lacewood is sought after in wider boards for panelling.

London plane is used as a street tree in cities throughout the world. It is more tolerant of abuse and of fungus diseases than either of its parents. London plane probably is more tolerant of smoke, dust, soot, air pollution, reflected heat, pavement over the roots, wind, heavy pruning, and general abuse than any other tree, and quite possibly has been planted in more cities worldwide than any other tree.