Differences Between London Plane, Chinese Parasol Tree and Paulownia - A Quick Guide to Telling Them Apart

In the vigorous development of urban greening and landscaping, identifying and selecting tree species is an important task. The London plane, paulownia and Chinese parasol tree may look like three sisters in urban landscaping, but in fact they belong to different families and genera, and differ greatly in morphology.

The London plane is a large deciduous tree of the genus Platanus in the family Platanaceae. Its name comes from its leaves resembling those of the Chinese parasol tree; it was introduced from abroad in old China and was first planted in the French concession of Shanghai, hence the name "fa tong" (French plane). The London plane is actually a collective name for Platanus orientalis and Platanus acerifolia of the genus Platanus. Platanus orientalis reaches 30 m tall, with dark gray bark that peels off in thin flakes, revealing a greenish-white inner bark. Young branches are covered with yellow-brown stellate hairs. Leaves are 8 to 16 cm long and 9 to 18 cm wide, with 5 to 7 deep lobes reaching to or below the middle, the lobes narrow and long, covered with gray-yellow stellate hairs when young and later shedding. The common stalk bears spherical fruit heads 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, with spiny styles 3 to 4 mm long; flowering in May, fruiting in September to October. Platanus acerifolia is a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and Platanus occidentalis, bred in London, England. It reaches 35 m tall, with bark peeling off in thin flakes and a pale greenish-white inner bark. Young branches and leaves are densely covered with pale brownish-yellow stellate hairs. Leaves are 10 to 24 cm long and 12 to 25 cm wide, with a flat or slightly heart-shaped base, 3 to 5 deep lobes, the middle lobe nearly equal in length and width, with entire or sparsely coarse-toothed margins. Fruit heads are about 2.5 cm in diameter, with spiny styles 2 to 3 mm long. Flowering in April to May, fruiting in September to October.

The Chinese parasol tree, also called green paulownia or Chinese parasol, is a deciduous tree of the genus Firmiana in the family Sterculiaceae, reaching up to 20 m tall. The crown is oval, the trunk straight, and the bark smooth and green. The branchlets are stout and emerald green. The leaves are alternate, with long stalks, palmately 3- to 5-lobed, with a heart-shaped base, the lobes broadly ovate and entire. The flowers are pale yellow-green, without petals, in terminal panicles. When the fruit ripens it splits into 5 boat-shaped carpels, with round spherical seeds borne on the edges of the carpels. The Chinese parasol tree is native to China. It likes light, warmth, and fertile, moist, clayey, well-drained soil rich in calcium; it is not tolerant of waterlogging, is somewhat poor in cold hardiness, has weak sprouting ability, and does not tolerate pruning. In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, its leaves do not begin to unfurl until mid-to-late April, and in autumn the leaves turn golden yellow and fall early. With its large leaves and green branches, upright and dignified form, and deep green shade, people have loved to plant Chinese parasol trees in courtyards since ancient times. The Ming dynasty work Qun Fang Pu records: "The Chinese parasol's bark is green as jade, its leaves notched like flowers, elegant and pure, a delight to the eye; many households plant it by their studies and pavilions." Hua Jing says: "Wisteria and vines shading one another, parasol and bamboo bringing clarity, suited to deep courtyards and lonely pavilions, where lovely birds sing." This was the art of arranging Chinese parasol trees in ancient Chinese gardens. With its graceful form and dense green shade, able to attract birds to roost and breed, it is an excellent tree for greening in front of courtyards.

Paulownia, also called "tong", is a deciduous tree of the genus Paulownia in the family Scrophulariaceae, reaching up to 27 m tall, with a broad crown and gray-brown, smooth bark; the single leaves are opposite, heart-shaped ovate to heart-shaped long ovate, with entire or slightly wavy margins. In spring it flowers before the leaves emerge, the corolla lip-shaped, white or pale purple, with purple spots inside, and fragrant. The genus Paulownia is endemic to China and widely distributed. Today the main varieties include Paulownia catalpifolia, Paulownia fortunei, Paulownia tomentosa, Paulownia albiflora, Paulownia fargesii, Paulownia elongata and more than ten others. Paulownia has sparse branches and large leaves, an open crown, and in April blooms in clusters of purple or white flowers with a refreshing fragrance. Its leaves are hairy and secrete a sticky substance that can absorb large amounts of smoke, dust and toxic gases, making it an excellent tree for urban greening and shelterbelt planting. Paulownia is by nature cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, salt-alkali-tolerant and wind-sand-tolerant, with strong resistance and a wide range of climate adaptation; growth is affected above 38 °C, and it suffers freeze damage at an absolute minimum temperature of minus 25 °C. It propagates easily, grows fast, and has excellent wood quality. It is a special material for making musical instruments and aircraft parts, and its root bark is used in medicine to treat bruises.