Platanus x hispanica Alphens Globe

Platanus x hispanica Alphen's Globe allows the famous roadside plane tree to enter our gardens. This fairly recent Dutch selection has two characteristics: reduced development and a spherical crown. Otherwise, this small tree is identical in every way to its August sibling. It bears large  bright green palmate leaves reminiscent of maple leaves, and its trunk is covered with bark that peels off in unique large flakes, revealing lighter colour patches.  

The Common Plane Tree is a very large deciduous tree resulting from the cross-breeding of the Western plane tree (Platanus occidentalis), native to North America, and the Eastern plane tree (Platanus orientalis), native to southeastern Europe and western Asia. This cross-breeding took place in Spain (hence its name Platanus x Hispanica) but also in England around 1650. Its lifespan is counted in hundreds of years. The cultivar 'Alphen's Globe' is grafted on a high stem, so its total height will depend on the height of the graft point.

Alphen's Globe Plane Tree, which grows quite slowly, generally reaches a height of 8 to 10m (26 to 33ft) with a spread of 6m (20ft), depending on the height of the graft point. It develops a wide and massive trunk. The crown is rounded, semi-open and dense, supported by very short sturdy branches. The characteristic bark cracks into large flakes, revealing light areas. This plane tree bears large deciduous medium green leaves, leathery and glossy, reaching up to 15 cm (6in) in width, divided into 3 to 5 pointed and sparsely toothed lobes. They turn yellow then brown in autumn before falling. Leaves decompose very slowly, often requiring gardeners to spend long hours collecting them. In spring, the young shoots are covered with light brown hairs that can be irritating to the eyes, throat, and respiratory tract. The unusual flowering occurs in May: the flowers are gathered in green 'pompoms' hanging from a long stem. On plane trees, female and male flowers are separate but present on the same tree. After wind pollination, the female flowers produce tiny fruits called achenes, surrounded by a brown down. These curious pompom-like infructescences last on the branches long after the leaves have fallen.

The common plane tree adapts wonderfully to all types of soils, including in polluted urban areas, seaside locations, and arid countryside.  It tolerates pruning if done properly. 'Alphen's Globe' modest size means it is more suitable for our gardens. It can be placed as a specimen tree in the centre of the garden or used to shade a terrace, for example. To enhance it, consider surrounding it with a boxwood border or bushy honeysuckles (Lonicera nitida, L. pileata). However, be sure to provide plenty of distance from structures, as this tree's main roots may eventually lift any perceived obstructions. The plane tree is also a very interesting tree that harbours a whole little-known fauna under and on its unusual and characteristic bark.