Plane leaves are big, stiff and broad, with three to five pointed lobes. They grow one at a time along the shoot, each on its own long stalk.
Introduced, rarely naturalised · Up to 44 m
London plane
Platanus × hispanica · Platanaceae
London plane is a big city tree with bark that flakes off in patches of grey, cream and olive. All winter, round bristly seed balls hang from its bare branches.
Often mistaken for sycamore. How to tell them apart →Know it byLeavesBig leaves with pointed lobes, set one at a time along the shoot.
BarkPatchwork bark in grey, cream and olive.
Seed ballsBristly balls on a long stalk, green then brown, all winter.
LeavesBig leaves with pointed lobes, set one at a time along the shoot.BarkPatchwork bark in grey, cream and olive.Seed ballsBristly balls on a long stalk, green then brown, all winter.Then check · BudsOn a bare shoot, each reddish bud sits on its own, with the scar of its fallen leaf right round it.
How to identify a London plane
The bark flakes away in plates, leaving a patchwork of grey, cream and olive on the trunk. It shows from across the road, even in winter.
Round, bristly seed balls hang on long stalks, often several to a stalk. They are green in summer, then brown, and stay on the bare tree all winter.
Learn the London plane in TreelyEvery part through the year, and a short round each day until you know it.Get Treely
Every part, in photographs
oliverc29, CC BY 4.0
Susan Marley, CC BY 4.0
When to look
JFMAMJJASOND
In leaf
Flowers
Seed balls
In leaf: April to November · Flowers: April to May · Seed balls: all year
Where you’ll find it
Streets, squares, parks, avenues and gardens, and along the Victoria Embankment in London. It is planted throughout Britain and is most abundant in London and other large cities. It very rarely seeds itself into the wild.
What it’s mistaken for
London plane or sycamore?Both are big park trees with lobed leaves and flaking bark.How the leaves sit→
London plane or field maple?Both have lobed leaves.Trunk→
London plane or eucalyptus?Both have bark that scales off to leave a pale patchwork.Fruit on the tree→
London plane or Norway maple?Both are big street trees with five-lobed leaves.How the leaves sit→
London plane or wild service tree?Both have leaves with pointed lobes, set singly along the shoot.How the lobes are set→
- Tulip treeBoth are large planted trees whose lobed leaves sit singly along the shoot. Leaf. London plane: three to five pointed lobes, toothed. Tulip tree: squared off, with a shallow notch.
In the app
There’s more of the London plane in Treely
- Every part, through the yearLeaves, bark, buds, flowers and fruit, photographed in every season
- Its lookalikes, side by sideThe checks that settle it, part by part
- A short round each dayUntil you know the London plane on sight, from any side
- Name it from a photoA leaf, the bark or a flower, and Treely tells you which tree
Free to download.
Every fact on this page is checked against the Collins Tree Guide, last in November 2026. Spotted something that looks wrong in front of a real tree? Tell us. How we check.
Photographs: Leon Cross (CC BY 4.0), Nick Butcher (CC BY 4.0), rmjb (CC BY 4.0), oliverc29 (CC BY 4.0), Susan Marley (CC BY 4.0), bobwardell (CC0), Kieran Roy Powell (CC BY 4.0), Wendy Herniman (CC BY 4.0), Clive Freedman (CC BY 4.0), steve_mcwilliam (CC0), Eric Toro Delgado (CC BY 4.0). With thanks to everyone who shares their photographs on iNaturalist and Wikimedia Commons.