LONDON PLANE / Platanus x acerifolia

It used to be said that it thrived in London because it shed its bark, the argument being that in doing so the tree could “breathe” (Ackermann), a fallacy, of course, for trees do not “breathe” through their bark. Many people believed that the London Plane was an unhealthy tree to live near. It may perhaps be true, for there is a theory that the small spicules which form the fruit swarm in the air surrounding the trees and cause bronchial catarrh and pneumonia, as well as certain throat affections (Brimble). Certainly, children make itching powder from the fruits.