Liquid Ambar?

[Jarad]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what this is? It was in an area that had a lot of Liquid Ambar.
Leaf And Seed Pod


Seed Pod

[Theodore]

Looks like a London Plane to me!

[Beano]

Agree, they're outside my house, huge leaves, furry seed pods. They usually have pretty peeling bark.

[KIRKY]

Agreed, London Plane tree Plantanus x acerifolia. It has mottled gray bark.
Cheers
Kirky

[Jarad]

Thanks gents!

Are they suitable for bonsai?

[shibui]

If you want a bonsai with great big leaves then plane tree will be suitable.

[Jarad]

Do the leaves reduce at all?

[shibui]

Leaves do reduce like other species but 1/2 of 15cm leaf is still a huge 7cm reduced leaf.

BTW, how are you planning to propagate these?

[Jarad]

Good point, thanks Neil.

I hadn't really done any research on propagating, I assumed it was a Liquid Ambar so I collected a few of the pods and I was planning on drying them out like you do with LA. Do you have any experience with them?

At this point I'm collecting seed of trees that I like the look of and planting so that at later date I can put them in the ground to grow full size trees, not just bonsai.

[shibui]

At this point I'm collecting seed of trees that I like the look of and planting so that at later date I can put them in the ground to grow full size trees, not just bonsai.

Good on you mate. Propagating new plants is a great adventure. You'll have lots of fun and end up with heaps of plants to fill the garden and give away to friends.

Initially I thought this might be a sterile hybrid but I have checked and it seems you can grow it from seed. Not sure what the results from seed will look like though. Normally seedlings from a hybrid will display wide variation - some will look like one of the original parents, some like the other and the rest will be a range of characteristics of both parents. A few will look like the hybrid you got the seed from. The point is that you cannot rely on getting the same sort of tree from seed collected from a hybrid.

[KIRKY]

We have these retched trees as street trees, in almost all of the old Melbourne suburbs. I would not plant this tree in your garden i would not plant this tree anywhere! The round seed ball when it matures becomes fluffy causing asthma attacks. Personally it hits the back of the throat causing violent coughing fits. All this fluffy gets blown around clogs up gutters. It self seeds in the garden very easily. If I could I would poison n cut them all down and have the biggest street bonfire. I know I am not alone in this thinking many people in Melourne are affected by them, why they still plant them is a mystery. I love seeing the mobs of Corellas come thru destroying the seed balls. The streets look like they are covered in snow for me it means a season without being choked everytime I go into the yard.
Cheers
Kirky

[Beano]

Is that what was all over my car?! Seed fluff? They drop twigs and leaves everywhere too, even in summer, if it has leaves on it they will fall off.

[KIRKY]

The leaves do drop but they dont break down. I put some in the garden bed as mulch years ago and they are still there after years being burried under sugar cane mulch its a retched tree

[Jarad]

Thanks for the encouragement Neil. Planning on having an exotic garden when I get my own house.

Thanks for the honesty Kirky, I'll take that as sound advice. Upon further research, I don't think this one will make it into the future garden.

[peterb]

Hey Jarad, they are horrible trees for kids to. We had one in one of the yards I lived in and you couldn't go outside without shoes on either, those seed pods break up and it's like sprinkling thorns all around. Absolutely hated that tree ( even tried to poison it once , but as a kid didn't quite know how to use the weedkiller )
cheers
peterb