How to distinguish between Fatong, sycamore and paulownia

In the construction of urban greening and beautification, it is an important work to identify and plant tree species. The three tree species, Fatong, paulownia and sycamore, look like the three sisters in urban landscaping. In fact, these three tree species are different families and genera, and there are also great differences in shape.

Fatong is a large deciduous tree of the genus Platanus of the family Platanus. Fatong is called Fatong because its leaves are like sycamore, which was introduced from abroad in old China and planted in the French concession in Shanghai. Fatong is actually the general name of three-ball and two-ball Platanus trees of the genus Platanus. The three-ball Platanus tree is up to 30 meters high, with dark gray bark, thin flakes and green-white endodermis. Twigs yellowish brown stellate tomentose. Leaves 8 to 16 cm long, 9 to 18 cm wide, 5 to 7 parted to middle or below middle, lobes narrow and long, gray-yellow stellate tomentose when young, glabrescent. Involucral peduncle with globose inflorescences, inflorescences 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, style prickly, 3 to 4 mm long in May, fruiting from September to October. Two-ball Platanus przewalskii is a hybrid of three-ball Platanus tree and one-ball Platanus tree, bred in London, England. Up to 35 meters high, the bark flakes off and the endothelium is greenish white. Twigs and leaves densely covered with yellowish stellate tomentose. Leaves 10 to 24 cm long and 12 to 25 cm wide, base truncate or cordate, 3 to 5-parted, middle lobe nearly equal in length and width, entire or sparsely coarsely toothed. Infructescences ca. 2. 5 cm in diam., style 2-3 mm long, spiny. The florescence is from April to May and the fruiting period is from September to October.

Indus, also known as Qingtong, also known as Chinese sycamore, is a deciduous tree of the sycamore family, up to 20 meters high. The crown is oval, the trunk ends are straight, and the bark is smooth and green. The twigs are stout and emerald green. Leaves alternate, long stipitate, palmately 3-5-lobed, base heart-shaped, lobes broadly ovate, entire. Flowers yellowish green, apetalous, terminal panicle. The fruit cracked into 5 navicular petals when it matured, and the seeds were globose and placed at the edge of the petal. Sycamore is native to China. It likes light, warmth, fertile, moist, sticky, well-drained, calcium-rich soil, not resistant to waterlogging, poor cold resistance, weak sprouting, and not resistant to pruning. The leaves began to spread in the middle and late April in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the leaves turned golden in autumn and the leaves fell early. Sycamore leaves are green, tall and straight and dignified, with deep green shade. Since ancient times, people like to plant plane trees in the courtyard. It is recorded in the Qunfang Spectrum of the Ming Dynasty: "Indus are as green as green, lack of leaves as flowers, Yan Ya Hua Jing, pleasing to the eye, and there are many kinds of Zhai pavilions." "Flower Mirror" cloud: "rattan cover, Wuzhu Zhiqing, it is appropriate to deep courtyard solitary pavilion, good birds idle pass." This is the art of matching Chinese parasol trees in ancient Chinese gardens. The trees of sycamore are graceful and shady, which can attract birds to perch and breed.

Paulownia, also known as "paulownia", is a deciduous tree of the genus Scrophulariaceae, up to 27 meters high, with a broad crown, grayish brown bark, smooth bark, opposite leaves, heart-shaped ovoid to heart-shaped long ovate, entire or slightly undulate. Spring flowers before leaves, Corolla lip-shaped, white or lavender, with purple spots, fragrance. Paulownia is a specialty of our country, which is widely distributed. At present, the main varieties are catalpa leaf paulownia, orchid paulownia, paulownia, white paulownia, Sichuan paulownia, Lankao paulownia and so on. Paulownia branches sparse leaves, the crown opened, in April in full bloom clusters of purple or white flowers, fragrance. The leaves are hairy and secrete a sticky substance, which can absorb a lot of smoke, dust and toxic gases. it is an excellent tree species for urban greening and shelterbelt. Paulownia is resistant to cold and drought, salt and alkali, wind and sand, strong resistance, and has a wide range of adaptation to climate. The growth of paulownia is affected when the high temperature is above 38 ℃, and the absolute lowest temperature is frozen at minus 25 ℃. Easy to reproduce, grow fast and have excellent material. It is a special material for making musical instruments and aircraft parts, and the root skin is used as medicine to treat falls and injuries.