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- Platanaceae
- Platanus
- Platanus hybrida
Platanus hybrida — London sycamore
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Facts
London sycamore is also known as London planetree, with the word "plane" referring to its broad, maple-shaped leaves. Native to Europe, this handsome tree is sometimes planted as a street tree or screen; its platy, greenish-gray bark is attractive. Small yellow flowers produced in April or May mature into spiny, globular, compound fruits later in the season.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
- Leaf blade length
- 120–250 mm
- Leaf blade width
- 100–240 mm
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- gray
- red
- Bud scale number
- there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
-
Buds or leaf scars
- Bud scale number
- there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
- Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
- NA
- Collateral buds
- there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
- Superposed buds
- there are no superposed buds on the branch
-
Flowers
- Enlarged sterile flowers
- there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
- Flower appearance
- the flowers appear at the same time as the leaves
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
- NA
- Hypanthium present
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence type
-
- the flowers grow out of the axil (point where a branch or leaf is attached to the main stem)
- the inflorescence has only one flower on it
- Number of pistils
-
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 or more
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Sepal cilia (Ilex)
- NA
- Stamen number
-
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Fruit tissue origin
- there are no flower parts that form part of the fruit
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
-
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- the fruit is an aggregate (composed of multiple fused ovaries from one flower)
- Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- there are no wings on the fruit
-
Glands or sap
- Sap color
- the sap is clear and watery
- Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
- NA
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a tree
-
Leaves
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes)
- the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- Leaf blade edges (Acer)
- NA
- Leaf blade hairs
- the hairs on the leaf blade are different from the choices given
- Leaf blade length
- 120–250 mm
- Leaf blade scales
- there are no scales on the leaf blades
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
- Leaf blade translucent dots
- there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
- Leaf blade width
- 100–240 mm
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
- NA
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk nectaries
- there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
- Leaf teeth
- the leaf blade margin is serrate (with forward-pointing) or dentate (with outward-pointing) with medium-sized to coarse teeth
- Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Aerial roots
- the plant has no aerial roots
- Bark texture
- the bark of an adult plant peels off easily or hangs off
- Branch brittleness (willows only)
- NA
- Branch cross-section
- the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
- First-year cane (Rubus)
- NA
- Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
- NA
- Twig winter color
-
- brown
- gray
- red
- Wings on branch
- the branch does not have wings on it
- armature on plant
- the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Platanus hybrida Brot. E
London sycamore. Platanus acerifolia (Ait.) Willd. • MA. Railroads, waste areas. The exact origin of this European tree is unknown (Tutin 1993a). Some authorities suggest it is the hybrid product of Platanus occidentalis and P. orientalis L., having arisen in the 17th century. Others suggest it is a cultivar of P. orientalis.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Platanus occidentalis:
- carpellate inflorescences solitary or rarely paired and lobes of leaf blade shorter than wide (vs. P. hybrida, with carpellate inflorescences paired or rarely solitary or in trios and middle lobe of leaf blade as long as or longer than wide (vs. P. occidentalis, with ).
Synonyms
- Platanus acerifolia (Ait.) Willd.