Platanus × hispanica – P. × acerifolia – London Plane

General Information Common Name  London Plane Scientific Name  Platanus × hispanica, Platanus × acerifolia Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  30 - 50 m (100 - 180 ft) Spread  6 -9 m (20 - 30 ft) Growth Rate  Fast  Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green, Yellow Flower Color  Green, Dark-Red Type  Tree Native  Europe, USA

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Rosidae Order  Proteales Family  Platanaceae Genus  Platanus Species  P. × hispanica, P. × acerifolia

London Plane Tree

London Plane is now generally accepted as being a hybrid between P. occidentalis and P. orientalis, probably originating in the mid seventeenth century. It is well known as a stately, tall, hardy and vigorous street tree with peeling bark, knobbly trunk and curved or crooked branches. In summer its broad leaves cast a gaily dappled shade and the tree withstands lopping and tolerates impure atmospheres.

The shoots are stout and brown, with alternate winter buds which are reddish and covered by a single closed scale. The leathery leaves are set alternately. On opening they are khaki color, but later they are glossy green on top, paler underneath.  They are palmately veined, usually with five lobes and have stipules united to form a long tube-like stalk.
The globular flower heads (‘bobbles’ or seed balls) dangle on long stalks in June, male and female being separate but on the same tree. The minute individual stalkless green flowers radiate from a central base. The developed fruits are clustered to form a ball, about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, spiky with the remains of the styles. These brown ‘bobbles’ remain dangling on the otherwise bare tree throughout the winter, and break up in the following spring, releasing the individual fruit which resembles a tiny four-sided club, with the style projecting from the top and a parachute-like ring of hairs attached to the bottom.

The bark is thin and smooth, light greenish or yellowish-green in color, and flakes off annually in irregular plates, particularly during late summer, to disclose the much paler inner bark of green, yellow and brown. When the tree is very big, the bark becomes dark grey and finely fissured. The flaking gives the trunk a dappled or mottled appearance, not unlike the coloring of a giraffe. The wood is pinkish-brown in color without any distinct heartwood. It is a useful veneer timber and when quartered is often called ‘lacewood’. The tree is very rarely planted commercially. Propagation is by seeds, cuttings, or by layering.

London Plane

  

Leaves of London Plane

Flower of London Plane

Flowers of London Plane

Flowers of London Plane

Fruits of London Plane

The Bark of London Plane

Logs of London Plane

Beautiful Garden of London Plane

London Plane Tree

  

London Plane Leaves

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

General Information Common Name  Banyan Tree Scientific Name  Ficus benghalensis Sun Tolerance  Full Sun Height  up to 200 m (up to 700 ft) Spread  up to 30 m (up to 100 ft) Growth Rate  Fast  Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green Flower Color  Yellow Type  Tree Native  South and South-East Asia

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Subclass  Hamamelididae Order  Urticales Family  Moraceae – Mulberry family Genus  Ficus L. – fig Species  F. benghalensis

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis common name is Banyan Tree. It is also known as 'Bengal fig', 'Indian fig'. It is native to South and East Asia, but also plant as an ornamental tree in the tropical country all over the world. It is a large and long living trees, it takes more and more space year after year. This circle of trunks deriving from one original tree can reach an enormous size – 200 m (700 ft) in diameter and 30 m (100 ft) in height. Ficus benghalensis produces propagating roots which grow downwards as aerial roots. Once these roots reach the ground, they grow into woody trunks that can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. The leaves are leathery, entire, ovate or elliptic, 20-40 cm long with prominent lateral veins. The figs are 1 to 2 cm in diameter, without stalks, in pairs in leaf axils, and when ripe are bright red. The fruit of the Indian banyan tree is yet another example of the vital interdependency that exist between species, in our fragile environment. The fig "fruit" is actually a globular receptacle with hundreds of small fleshy flowers inside. The figs are pollinated by a tiny specialized wasp that enters the receptacle through a small opening. The pollinator wasp for Ficus benghalensis is Eupristina masoni. Each female flower inside the receptacle then produces a tiny fruit containing seeds.

The figs are eaten by birds and mammals. Fig seeds are dispersed by birds such as the Indian Mynas and studies have shown that seeds that pass through the digestive system of the bird are more likely to germinate as well as sprout earlier.  The Banyan Tree is sacred to Hindus and Buddhists in India and is frequently planted around temples. Being a majestic ornamental tree it is also planted in parks and along streets in the tropics.

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree : Young Plant

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree : Leaves

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree : Fruits

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree : Fruits

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree : Fruits

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree as ornament

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Ficus benghalensis - Banyan Tree

Videos fo Banyan Tree :

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

General Information Common Name  Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet Scientific Name  Erythronium americanum Sun Tolerance  Shade Height  7-30cm (3-9 inch) Spread  7-20cm (3-6 inch) Growth Rate  Fast Bloom Time  Spring Color  Green Flower Color  Yellow Type  Creeper Native  North-America

Classification Kingdom  Plantae – Plants Subkingdom  Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants Division  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants Class  Liliopsida – Monocotyledons Subclass  Liliidae Order  Liliales Family  Liliaceae – Lily family Genus  Erythronium L. – fawnlily Species  E. americanum

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum common name is Trout Lily also called Yellow dogtooth violet. It is a flowering plant that native to North-America. It grows to 7-30cm (3-9 inch) in height. Generally it well grows in shady places. The plants are only in growth from late winter to late spring so the ground cover effect is ephemeral. The appearance of Trout Lily’s gray-green leaves mottled with brown or gray, which allegedly resemble the coloring of brook trout. It blooms in spring and the flower color is yellow.  Each plant sends up a single flower stem with a pair of leaves. Trout lilies grow in colonies that can be up to 300 years old. Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Water lightly in summer, it should germinate in autumn or winter. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification. Sow as early in spring as possible in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not be necessary to prick them out for their first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed to the seedlings to make sure that they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot.

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet

Erythronium americanum - Trout Lily - Dogtooth Violet