Common Name = London Planetree
Location = Roberts Hall south of main entrance
Height = 63 feet (18.9m)
Trunk Circumference = 67 inches (1.68m)
July
Unique is an apt descriptor for the London planetree. It
is the only tree with maple-looking leaves that is not a maple; it
has bark that is very distinctive in its color, texture, and peeling
pattern; and it has dry, fuzzy, spherical fruit that hang from its branches
like ornaments all winter. A cross between the American sycamore (native to
Rhode Island) and the Oriental planetree (a native of the eastern
Mediterranean region), this hybrid has been propagated asexually for over
300 years to maintain its unique genetic characteristics. Aesthetics aside,
the tree is valued for its tolerance to smoke and other air pollutants and,
therefore, is commonly planted along city streets in temperate climates all
over the world. London planetrees line the street that passes in front of
our first, and still main campus building, Roberts Hall, home of the
College’s largest auditorium where audiences have enjoyed many memorable
events from remarkable stage performances to pithy convocation addresses.