18. Bedford Plane
Superb but seemingly unloved, a streetside oriental plane is one of Bedford’s must see trees.
A soaring oriental plane towers over Kimbolton Road opposite the hospital on the corner of Pemberley Lane. Its ownership is unclear – does it belong to the house whose front garden it shades, or does it reside in the street? Its trunk is ivy-clad suggesting it has been untended for some time, a fate no doubt exacerbated by this ambiguity.
Species details
Oriental plane
Platanus orientalis
Where to find it
Kimbolton Road, Bedford MK40 2NX
///slides.stands.work | 52.142559, -0.460157
Oriental plane notes
Graceful oriental planes are less frequent than their ubiquitous relative, the hybrid London plane, but tend to be smaller. There are exceptions however, and the Bedford plane is one of these. It is a rare giant that, were it not for its deeply incised leaves and strings of smaller flowers and fruits held in threes and fours rather than pairs, might easily pass for a monumental London plane.
