Excelsior “Social-Distancing” Tree Tour 4-9-21

In our year of chalking these tree walks, we have realized that certain neighborhoods excel in trees while others offer fewer, either for socio-economic reasons or because the conditions are challenging. The windswept Excelsior District, on the south side of the Alemany Gap, is one of those neighborhoods that has lacks significant tree density, but we were excited to discover tree-rich Athens and Vienna streets, which provide the basis for this week’s tree tour.  

Athens-Avalon Greenspace

This walk begins at the base of the neighborhood-maintained Athens-Avalon Greenspace, on Avalon Avenue at Athens Street. It then leads southwest on Athens Street to Brazil Street, crosses the street and heads back northeast to Excelsior Avenue. Turning northwest on Excelsior, the walk continues to Vienna Street, where it heads southwest almost to Brazil again, before crossing the street and heading northeast all the way to Avalon. At Avalon, the walk heads southeast back to its start at the Greenspace. This walk is under a mile in length. 

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 38. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed. 

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

Avalon Avenue at Athens Street, northeast side

1. Sidewalk at the base of Greenspace - Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco) 

2. 743 Avalon             Avocado tree (Persea americana), Mexico and Central America        (within the Greenspace)         

 Athens Street, Avalon to Excelsior, northwest side

3. 742 Avalon             Fern-leaf Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus subsp. asplenifolius), California’s Channel Islands, except Catalina; California native (5 trees are on Athens)

 4. 742 Avalon             Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), New Caledonia (a young tree is along the fence on Athens; similar to Norfolk Island pine, but this species will have a pronounced lean or curve at its base)

Closeup of flowers - White champaca (Magnolia x alba)

 5. 804 Avalon             Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island, South Pacific (this is the tall, distinctive “Christmas tree” in the rear yard across the street)

 6. 218 Athens              White champaca (Magnolia x alba), hybrid of SE Asian species (watch for the fragrant flowers tucked within the foliage)

 7. 228 Athens              Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea), Mexico and Central America

 8. 242 Athens              Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia

 9. 250 Athens              Akebono flowering cherry (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’), Japan

 **Cross Athens carefully**

Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea)

 Athens Street, Avalon to Excelsior, southeast side

10. 259 Athens            New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’), New Zealand

Leaves and flowers: New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’)

 11. 263 Athens            Yew-plum pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus), Japan and China (against the house)

 12. 267 Athens            Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), E Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild, hence the common name; San Francisco’s most commonly planted street tree)

 13. 267 Athens            Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

River birch (Betula nigra), leaves just budding out

 14. 283 Athens             Plume albizia (Paraserianthus lophantha), southwest Australia (easily seeds around and considered a weed in the western reaches of Golden Gate Park

 Athens Street, Excelsior to Brazil, southeast side

15. 307 Athens            Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia

 16. 311 Athens             River birch (Betula nigra), eastern USA (2 trees with peeling bark; only street trees of this species we know in San Francisco)

 17. 315 Athens            Catalina cherry (Prunus ilicifolia subsp. lyonii), Channel Islands of California

 18. 351 Athens            Bearss lime (Citrus x latifolia), hybrid of key lime and lemon

Bearss lime (Citrus x latifolia)

 19. 395 Athens            Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia and South Pacific Islands

 Athens Street, Brazil to Excelsior, northwest side

Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’)

20. 378 Athens            Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’), Southern China and Japan to southeast Asia

 21. 374 Athens            Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia

 22. 366 Athens            Grecian bay tree (Laurus nobilis), Mediterranean Basin (this is the bay leaf of culinary value; crush a leaf to smell it)

 23. 346 Athens            Bloodgood Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’), Korea and Japan

 24. 342 Athens            Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru to Chile

 25. 314 Athens            Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan

 Excelsior Avenue, Athens to Vienna, southwest side

26. 727 Excelsior         Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain(2 trees across the street in the rear yard)

 Vienna Street, Excelsior halfway to Brazil, southeast side

27. 347 Vienna            London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species

 28. 351 Vienna            Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), China and Vietnam (this species seldom does well in San Francisco)

 29. 351 Vienna            Brush cherry (Syzygium australe, previously knows as S. paniculatum, a different species), Eastern Australia

 **Cross street carefully**

 Vienna Street, northeast to Excelsior, northwest side

Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa)

30. 358 Vienna            Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

 31. 354 Vienna            Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), China, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis)

 32. 318 Vienna            Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeast USA

 Vienna Street, Excelsior to Avalon, southeast side

33. 701 Excelsior         Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii), Southern China, Laos, Vietnam (4 trees are in the sloping lawn on Vienna)

 34. 701 Excelsior         Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), Eastern Australia (tree is on Vienna)

 **Note the beautiful mosaic wall above the lawn**

 35. 234 Vienna            Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Eastern Mediterranean Basin (tree is across the street; seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

 36. 219 Vienna            Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California and Sonora, Mexico

 Avalon Street, Vienna to Athens, northeast side

37. 195 Vienna            Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (4 shapely trees on Avalon;    formerly San Francisco’s most planted street tree)          

38. 725 Avalon            Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), E Australia

 This walk ends here, a few yards southwest of its beginning at the Athens-Avalon Green Space.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

San Francisco Tree Map -Easily Find Landmark Trees Near You!

San Francisco tree lovers - wish you had an easy way to find San Francisco’s landmark trees easily, no matter where you are in the City?

Here’s a reminder about my MAP OF SAN FRANCISCO’S LANDMARK AND RARE TREES. Just click on the link to go to a map of San Francisco where each of the trees is represented by a dot at its location. Some of the locations are street addresses; where street addresses weren’t available, I’ve used GPS coordinates. Now you can walk or bike or drive anywhere in the City with your smart phone, navigate to the Landmark Trees section of sftrees.com, click on the link to the map, and easily find landmark and interesting trees near you! The data in the map is taken from the Landmark Trees link of my website, where I have catalogued the largest examples of each species of tree in San Francisco. Occasionally you’ll find a smaller tree on the map - typically because the tree is very rare in SF and only a few small specimens exist.

This map was introduced on the site in August 2020, but it’s not easy to find, and I’m not sure all of my readers know about it, so I’m giving it a bit of publicity here on my blog.

This map will live permanently at the top of the “Landmark Tree” page of sftrees.com. i hope you enjoy it!

Yerba Buena "Social Distancing" Tree Tour 3-21-21

We were invited by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival to do a tour of the trees in the lovely park between Mission and Howard, 3rd and 4th Streets in the SOMA neighborhood. The park was opened in 1993, and sits above the underground ballroom of the Marriott Hotel across the street, so the trees are planted in soil of various depths, placed on top of underground commercial space.

This tour was unique in two respects - first, there were no addresses to identify the tree locations. We walked clockwise (to the left) around the circular park, so we’ve laid out the photos and descriptions below in the order that we encountered the trees. And secondly, this tour was done without Dick Turner, who was out of town. Dick, we missed you!

The main sidewalk of the park is a large circle, with most (but not all) of the trees inside the circle. The tour starts near the Mission Street entrance at the northwest corner of the park, near several large coast redwoods. From there, walk clockwise (to the left) and complete the circle. This is by far our shortest tour, and shouldn’t take longer than 20-30 minutes.

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to Southwest Oregon; CA coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

After you’ve passed the redwoods, walking clockwise, look to your left as you pass a park building, and you’ll see a small purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera) from Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most commonly planted tree).

Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

On your left, just after the Brisbane box trees are two Little Gem magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’) from southeastern USA.

California buckeye (Aesculus californica) - a California and San Francisco native! There are two large trees to your right, and they had just leafed out as we visited in March.

But the buckeyes have become targets for initial-carvers. Don’t do this!

Just past the buckeyes (which are on your right), on your left are some smaller shrubs - they are toyons (Heteromeles arbutifolia) an evergreen shrub native to extreme southwest Oregon, California, Baja California, and British Columbia. It is the sole species in its genus.

Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), from the Mediterranean Basin (source of pine nuts/pignoli)

Just past the Italian stone pine, on the left are several mature Chinese elms (Ulmus parvifolia) from East Asia. The bark of the Chinese elm comes off in puzzle-piece shapes.

Once you have passed the Martin Luther King fountain, on your left you’ll see some mature evergreen pear trees (Pyrus kawakamii) from Taiwan mixed in with Tasmanian tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) from southeastern Australia. Here a tree fern is framed by a multi-trunked pear tree.

As you round the circle, on your right are two Victorian box trees (Pittosporum undulatum) from Eastern Australia. They were in bloom as we visited - the flowers are intensely fragrant, which is why one of the common names for this tree is “mock orange”.

As you continue around the circle, there are a couple American sweetgums (Liquidambar styraciflua), from Eastern USA to Mexico & Central America. They are the trees very close to the sidewalk, and were bare of leaves (normal for March) on our visit.

Continuing on, fairly far from the sidewalk on your right is one mature coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) - it’s the tree with a round crown perhaps 50 feet from the sidewalk, surrounded by other trees. Coast live oak is a California and San Francisco native.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

The *World Champion* Monterey Cypress - in Pescadero!

This past weekend I made a “pilgrimage” to a tree that I’ve known about for a long time, but had never seen with my own eyes.

Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa) is one San Francisco’s most common trees, especially in its parks. I’ve known for a long time that the largest Monterey cypress in the world was in Pescadero, California, south of San Francisco, but I’d never made the trek to see the tree. I didn’t even know how to find it, as there didn’t seem to be any information online about the exact location of the tree. My friend Matt Ritter (Cal Poly botany professor, tree savant and host of the California Big Tree Registry) solved that problem; he shared the address of the tree - which is 5751 Pescadero Creed Road in Pescadero - about 8 miles inland from Highway 1.

It’s a massive tree, and the owner is clearly very interested in preserving it, as there are many cables among the tree’s larger branches. That’s me in the photo above, and below is a photo taken from the uphill/east side of the tree, looking to the west.

This tree is on the National Register of Champion Trees and the California Big Tree Registry - it is 588 inches in circumference, 102 feet in height, and 111 feet wide.

Interestingly, according to Matt Ritter, the next four largest Monterey cypress trees are all in New Zealand!

Buena Vista "Social Distancing" Tree Tour 2-28-21

Occupying 37 acres at the top of a steep hill near the center of town, Buena Vista Park is the oldest official park in San Francisco, originally designated as Park Hill in 1867. Considered the city’s most wooded park, its slopes contain one of the few remaining natural groves of coast live oaks in the city. On yet another gorgeous sunny day in February, we toured the winding street that marks the western, southern, and eastern edges of the park. Buena Vista Avenue offers a glimpse of elegance in its large and beautiful homes and apartment buildings, each with stunning views across the street to the forest peak that is Buena Vista Park. The avenue also happens to present an array of distinctive trees along the way.  

This walk follows the full loop of Buena Vista Avenue. Starting at Buena Vista Avenue West and Haight Street (a few steps east of Central Avenue), the walk heads uphill on the right side of Buena Vista, takes a quick dip down Waller Street, then back to Buena Vista, and continues around Buena Vista Avenue West and Buena Vista Avenue East, back to Haight Street. From there, the walk leads west on Haight to Central Avenue, across the street from the start of the walk. This walk is about a mile and a half long, and involves both uphill and downhill segments.

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 52. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed. 

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

 Buena Vista Avenue West, Haight to Waller, west side

1. 969 Buena Vista      Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

 2. 72 Central               Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (tree is between 935 and 921 Buena Vista; this is the back of a property on Central)

Three pollarded London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia),

 3. 901 Buena Vista      London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (3 pollarded trees on Buena Vista and more on Waller). To “pollard” a tree means to cut it repetitively, year after year, at the same joint - not every tree can handle this, but London plane trees react by creating a knobby ending that some (not all…) find aesthetically pleasing.   

 Waller Street, Buena Vista Avenue to Central, north side

4. 1118 Waller             Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia (several trees in a row)

 Waller Street, Central to Buena Vista, south side

(The tour wraps around the north and southeast sides of Walden House, which fills the triangular block; the official address is 815 Buena Vista Avenue West.)

 5. 815 Buena Vista      Silver dollar tree or Argyle apple (Eucalyptus cinerea), SE Australia (tree is on Waller, just east of Central; note the silvery leaves)

 6. 815 Buena Vista      Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia (tree is on Waller, just east of #5 above)

 7. 815 Buena Vista      Kōhūhū (Pittosporum tenuifolium), New Zealand (tree is on Waller, a few yards east of #6)

 8. 815 Buena Vista      Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), SE Australia (tree is on Waller, a few yards east of #7; there are many blackwoods in this area, many of them seedlings of the oldest trees.)

 9. 815 Buena Vista      Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), California native! (tree is on Waller near Buena Vista; this undoubtedly grew from a jay-planted acorn from the native grove within the park across the street)

 Buena Vista Avenue West, Waller to Central, north side

Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’)

10. 815 Buena Vista    English holly (Ilex aquifolium), Eurasia and North Africa (tree is on the southeast side of Walden House, near Waller)

 11. 815 Buena Vista    Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia (a row of well-pruned trees is on the southeast side of Walden House, near Central)

 Buena Vista Avenue West, Central to Frederick, north and west side

12. 783 Buena Vista    Persian lime (Citrus x latifolia), horticultural form of South and Southeast Asian species

 13. 777 Buena Vista    After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), Southwest Australian cultivar (often less vigorous than the green-leafed species)

Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)

 14. 771 Buena Vista    Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted street tree)

 15. 755 Buena Vista    Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

 16. 731 Buena Vista    Cabbage tree (Cussonia spicata), South Africa

 17. 715 Buena Vista    Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (these two trees have been “skinned:” the fuzzy leaf bases have been pruned off to reveal the ringed trunks; for comparison, note the unskinned specimen of the same species in front of the next house)

 Buena Vista Avenue West, Frederick to Java, west side

18. 639 Buena Vista    Karo (Pittosporum crassifolium), New Zealand

Dragon tree (Dracaena draco)

 19. 635 Buena Vista    Dragon tree (Dracaena draco), Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and W Morocco (cool tree, this is a rare tree in San Francisco, and this specimen is a “city champion”: the largest of its kind in San Francisco)

 20. 635 Buena Vista    Hopseed tree (Dodonaea viscosa), native throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world, and most commonly seen in its purple-leafed form

 Buena Vista Avenue West, Java to Upper Terrace, west side

21. 585 Buena Vista    Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), Eastern Australia

 22. 525 Buena Vista    Butterspoon tree (Cunonia capensis), South Africa (very uncommon in San Francisco; note the curious leaf buds)

 23. 525 Buena Vista    Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeastern USA (2 trees)

 24. 501 Buena Vista    Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), West Mediterranean Basin (northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

 Buena Vista Avenue East, Upper Terrace to Park Hill, south side

25. 485 Buena Vista    Myoporum or ngaio in Māori (Myoporum laetum), New Zealand (this species is dying all over San Francisco, due to an insect pest called thrips; note that the leaves are poisonous)

 26. 455 Buena Vista    Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia

 27. 447 Buena Vista    Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

 28. 423 Buena Vista    Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), Eastern Australia (two trees; feel the spongy bark)

 28b. 415 Buena Vista  Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Southwest Oregon and Northwest California (this is the twin-trunked coniferous tree just inside the fence; the branchlets droop)

 29. across the street    Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), a California native! (tree is across the street)

 **The walk passes the front of the old St Joseph’s Hospital, which was turned into the Park Hill condominiums in the early 1990s**

 [30 not used]

 31. 351 Buena Vista    Kapuka (Griselinia littoralis), New Zealand (a city champion: the largest of this species in San Francisco)

Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)

 31b. 351 Buena Vista  Chinese fan palms (Livistona chinensis), Japan and Taiwan (the young palms midway along the Park Hill drive, inside the gate; these are the only ones we know of in San Francisco; watch these rare trees as they grow up)

 32. 351 Buena Vista    Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), Eastern Australia (a row of four trees)

 33. 351 Buena Vista    European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia and North Africa (not usually well-adapted to San Francisco)

 Park Hill Avenue, south of Buena Vista, west side

34. 351 Buena Vista    Australian tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), southeast Australia (trees are on Park Hill, above the wall and fence; note their wonderfully contorted trunks)

 35. 351 Buena Vista    New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (several trees are along Park Hill)

 Buena Vista Avenue East, Park Hill to Buena Vista Terrace, southeast side

36. 267 Buena Vista    Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South Asia (these street trees have been beautifully pruned into a “lifted” hedge, or a hedge on stilts)

 37. 259 Buena Vista    Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), San Diego County, CA (this long-needled pine is across the street in Buena Vista Park; though adaptable to cultivation, this is the rarest pine species in the world)

 38. 253 Buena Vista    Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) Eastern USA (row of street trees from here to Buena Vista Terrace; beware of the long thorns on the branches)

 39. 253 Buena Vista    Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to Southwest Oregon; CA coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

 40. 215 Buena Vista    Grapefruit tree (Citrus x paradisi), hybrid of two Southeast Asian species: sweet orange and pomelo (within the yard to the west)

 41. 201 Buena Vista    Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain

a row of Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia robusta), with the financial district in the background

 Duboce Avenue, Buena Vista to Alpine Terrace, both sides

42. 5 Buena Vista Terrace       Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California and Sonora, Mexico

 Buena Vista, Duboce to Adah’s Staircase (Waller), east side

43. 181 Buena Vista    Himalayan white birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii), Western Himalayas

 44. 171 Buena Vista    Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), Southern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; loves San Francisco!)

 45. 141 Buena Vista    Italian bay tree (Laurus nobilis), Mediterranean Basin (this is the bay leaf of culinary value; crush a leaf to smell it)

 Adah’s Staircase (Waller Street), east of Buena Vista, north side

46. 25 Buena Vista      Shamel ash (Fraxinus uhdei), Mexico (tree is a few yards down the steep sidewalk on the south side the building)

 Buena Vista, Adah’s Staircase to Haight, east side

47. 21 Buena Vista      Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), Mediterranean Basin (not a tree; usually a large shrub)

 48. 15 Buena Vista      Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA (four trees on the property line)

 49. 11 Buena Vista      Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island, South Pacific (this is the distinctive “Christmas tree” in the yard to the east of the building)

Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla)

 50. 1 Buena Vista        Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

 **Cross Haight Street and head west along the north side of the street**

 Haight Street, Baker to Central, north side

51. 1 Baker                  Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (tree is on Haight)

 52. 1150 Haight          Sweetshade tree (Hymenosporum flavum), Eastern Australia

 This walk ends at Haight and Central, across the street from its beginning.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Marina "Social Distancing" Tree Tour 2-21-21

Laid out following the 1915 Pan-Pacific International Exposition, the Marina District is, today, one of the most appealing neighborhoods in the city, marked by a decidedly Mediterranean theme in the design of its elegant homes and by a disruption of the street grid seen in most other parts of the city. Neighborhoods of relative affluence generally result in well-tended trees and gardens, and the Marina is no exception, with trees carefully shaped and pruned to preserve views and let in sunlight on the narrow streets. This neighborhood enjoys easy access to the Marina Green, Fort Mason, the Presidio, and the Bay. Fog and steady winds can be a daily presence during the summer, but a sunny winter day in the Marina is like no other in the city. We enjoyed such a day on Sunday as we laid out this tree tour.  

This walk focuses on the triangle defined by Marina Boulevard, Fillmore Street, and Cervantes Boulevard. It begins at the southwest corner of Marina Boulevard and Fillmore Street. The walk leads a few yards south on Fillmore before turning southwest on Retiro Way, jogging slightly at Casa Way, and continuing west on Rico Way. At Avila Street, the walk heads northeast for half a block, then returns southwest on Avila to Cervantes Boulevard, southeast on Cervantes to Beach Street, east on Beach to Retiro, and then north on Retiro back to its starting point on Fillmore. This walk is a little more than one mile long, but, unlike recent walks, this one is entirely flat.  

Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 43. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed. 

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

Fillmore Street between Marina and Retiro, west side

1. 301 Marina  Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea), Mexico and Central America (tree is on Fillmore)

 2. 301 Marina  Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeastern USA (tree is on Fillmore, tucked tightly against the wall of the house)

Turn right on Retiro Way.  Retiro Way, Fillmore to Casa Way, northwest side

3. 301 Marina  Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri), hybrid of Southeast Asian species (tree is on Retiro)

 4. 155 Retiro    Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted street tree)

 5. 143 Retiro    Marjory Channon pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Marjory Channon’), New Zealand

 Jog slightly to the right to 2 Casa Way, then continue south on Retiro.

closeup of Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon

6. 2 Casa         Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeast Australia (there are many throughout the neighborhood, but this is one of the largest and most beautiful)

 Turn right (west) on Rico Way. Rico Way, Casa to Avila, north and northeast side

7. 12 Rico        Brush cherry (Syzygium australe, previously known as S. paniculatum), Eastern Australia

 8. 26 Rico        Evergreen dogwood (Cornus capitata), Himalayas (watch for the white flowers in late spring, followed by red fruits in the fall)

 9. 40 Rico        Tree aloe (Aloe arborescens), South Africa (this species blooms reliably almost anywhere in the city from late January into March; hummingbirds love the tubular flowers)

                         English holly (Ilex aquifolium), Western Europe and North Africa (tree is behind the aloe; this cultivar lacks the sharp teeth typically found on the leaf margins, and has smaller clusters of red berries)

Natchez crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’)

 10. 60 Rico      Natchez crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’), hybrid of Asian species (developed by the National Arboretum in DC; notable for its beautifully mottled bark, outstanding fall color, and its mildew resistance, making it a good choice for San Francisco; these two trees are the biggest of their kind in San Francisco: City Champions!)

 11. 85 Rico      Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), Año Nuevo, Monterey, Cambria, CA native (tree is across the street; the most widely planted coniferous tree in the world, mostly for lumber)

 12. 490 Avila   Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (four trees on Rico)

 13. 490 Avila   Japanese camellia or rose of winter (Camellia japonica), East Asia (two multi-trunked trees on Rico; though usually grown as a shrub for its beautiful late winter/spring flowers, Japanese camellia is actually a small tree)

Turn right on Avila, and cross to the west side of the street. Avila Street, Marina to Cervantes, northwest side

14. 425 Marina            Orange tree (Citrus x sinensis), hybrid of Asian species (tree is in the rear garden, on Avila)

White flowering plum (Prunus cerasifera)

 15. 425 Marina            White flowering plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (tree is in the rear garden, on Avila; less commonly seen than the pink flowering plums)

 16. 465 Avila               New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium), New Zealand

 17. 465 Avila               Saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), hybrid of East Asian species, developed in France

 18. 451 Avila               Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia (on the right of the driveway)

Hercules tree aloe (Aloidendron ‘Hercules’)

 19. 451 Avila               Hercules tree aloe (Aloidendron ‘Hercules’), hybrid of two South African species (this small but stunning front garden was created by Stephanie Green).  The Hercules tree aloes may be City Champions – the largest in San Francisco.

 20. 451 Avila               Sago (Cycas revoluta), Japan (eventually becomes a short-trunked tree; note the dramatic flowering cone in the center of the foliage)

Sago (Cycas revoluta

 21. 431 Avila               Cabbage tree (Cordyline australis ‘Atropurpurea’), New Zealand

 22. 431 Avila               Blue Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis var. argentea), Morocco and Algeria (this is another stunning garden created by Stephanie Green)

 23. 431 Avila               Baby queen palm (Chamaedorea plumosa), Chiapas, Mexico (tree is within the entry courtyard)

Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana

                                     Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana), South Brazil (five trees)

Ovens wattle (Acacia pravissima)

Turn right on Cervantes Boulevard for a number of trees fronting 200 Cervantes, after which you’ll backtrack and head southeast on Cervantes, crossing Avila Street.

24. 200 Cervantes       Ovens wattle (Acacia pravissima), East Australia (tree is on Avila, in another garden by Stephanie Green; the tree is one of San Francisco’s biggest, possibly a City Champion)

 25. 200 Cervantes       Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’), China (tree is on Avila)

Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’)

 Cervantes Blvd, northwest of Avila, northeast side

26. 200 Cervantes       Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand (6 trees)

 27. 200 Cervantes       Showy banksia (Banksia speciosa), Western Australia

 28. 200 Cervantes       After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), southwest Australian cultivar (often less vigorous than the green-leafed species)

 29. 200 Cervantes       Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’), hybrid of South American species (big yellow flowers within the walled garden; developed locally and named for the late San Francisco garden designer)

 30. 200 Cervantes       China doll tree (Radermachera sinica), China and Taiwan (within the walled garden, behind the angel’s trumpet)

 Cervantes Blvd, Avila to Beach, northeast side

31. 400 Avila               Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South Asia (tree is on Cervantes; a common, although problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)           

 32. 178 Cervantes       Fern-leaf Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus subsp. asplenifolius), CA’s Channel Islands, except Catalina; CA native

 33. 168 Cervantes       Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)

 34. 138 Cervantes       Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

 35. 130 Cervantes       Purple potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii), Paraguay (typically a large shrub, this has been trained into a tree-like form; flowers all year)

Purple potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii)

 36. 124 Cervantes       English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), west and central Europe

 37. 118 Cervantes       Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), East Asia (watch for the big pink flowers in April)

 Turn left (east) on Beach Street. Beach Street, Cervantes to Retiro, north side

Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

38. 1770 Beach            Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Southern China

 39. 1775 Beach            Loquat (Rhaphiolepis loquata, syn. Eriobotrya japonica), Southeast China, Vietnam, and Taiwan (two trees across the street; fruit is edible)

 40. 1764 Beach            Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia

 Turn left on Retiro Way. Retiro Way, Beach to Casa, west side

41. 25 Retiro                Soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria), Chile

 **Carefully cross Retiro Way to the east side**

Not a tree, but a cool solar installation in lieu of windows in the Marina!

 42. 20 Retiro                Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan

 Retiro Way, Casa to Fillmore, southeast side

43. 120 Retiro              Mock-orange (Pittosporum tobira), Japan, China, and Korea (intensely fragrant flowers later in the year)

 The Marina tree tour ends here, a few yards from its beginning at Fillmore and Marina Blvd.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Sunnyside "Social Distancing" Tree Tour

In the euphemistically named Sunnyside neighborhood, we enjoyed a truly superb sunny Sunday chalking out our latest tree tour. We began at a neighborhood treasure: the Sunnyside Conservatory, which dates to 1898. After years of decline, it was designated City Landmark #78 in 1975 and has, in recent years, seen a series of upgrades in access, hardscape, and plantings, thanks to a notable partnership between the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, the Department of Public Works, and an active local support group, Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory. (Read more about the project at sunnysideconservatory.org.)

 This walk begins at the front gate of the Sunnyside Conservatory on Monterey Blvd. Look for the white numbers on the concrete curbing and retaining walls along the broad walk through the Conservatory’s garden, eventually exiting up the steps at the northeast corner to Joost Avenue. At Joost, the tour heads west on Joost to Congo Street, then returns on the north side of Joost to the Mini-Park mid-block. It then heads up the steps through the Mini-Park to Mangles Avenue, before returning down the steps to Joost again. At Joost, the walk continues east to Baden, then south on Baden to Monterey Blvd, and finally west on Monterey to the Sunnyside Conservatory. This walk is barely one mile long. Be forewarned that there are several flights of steps involved, through the Conservatory and up to Joost, and again from Joost up to Mangels and back down within the Mini-Park.  

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 51. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed. (To preserve the sanctity of the Sunnyside Conservatory’s garden, we have only provided the numbers, in white, for the trees on this portion of the walk.) 

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

Sunnyside Conservatory at 236 Monterey Blvd, between Baden and Congo streets, north side

(We have only chalked the numbers, in white, on concrete curbing and retaining walls within the Conservatory gardens.)

1.         Pindo palm (Butia odorata), Southern Brazil and Uruguay

 2.         River banksia (Banksia seminuda),southwest Australia (look for the bright yellow flowers)

 3.         Grass-leaf hakea (Hakea francisiana), south and southwest Australia

Variegated century plant (Agave americana ‘Variegata’)

 4.         Variegated century plant (Agave americana ‘Variegata’), Mexico,southwest USA

 5.         Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (these trees are over            100 years old)

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis)

 6.         Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’), China

 7.         Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

 8.         Tree fuchsia (Fuchsia arborescens), C America (this large shrubby fuchsia flowers all year in San Francisco)

Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis)

 9.         Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis), Chile (one of San Francisco’s finest specimens, this specimen is over 100 years old)

 10.       Evergreen dogwood (Cornus capitata), Himalayas (watch for the white flowers in late spring, followed by red fruits in the fall)

 11.       Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Australia, Norfolk Island

 12.       Tasmanian tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), southeast Australia

 12B      Australian tree fern (Cyathea cooperi), NE Australia (compare the trunks on this tree fern and the previous one)

 13.       Nikau palm (Rhopalostylis sapida), New Zealand

 **Exit the main part of the Conservatory’s garden at the northeast corner, following a flight of steps through a garden passageway to Joost Avenue; the trees noted by number are on the right and left of the steps**

 14. (right)        Giant bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), South Africa

 15. (left)           Stinging wigandia (Wigandia urens), Southern Mexico to NW South America (beware of the stinging hairs on the leaves)

 16. (left)           Firewheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus), NE Australia

closeup of a lilly pilly tree (Syzygium smithii, previously known as Acmena smithii)

 17. (right)        Pompom tree (Dais cotinifolia), South Africa (watch for the pink flowers in early summer)

 Joost Avenue, west to Congo Street, south side

18. 257 Joost    Lilly pilly tree (Syzygium smithii, previously known as Acmena smithii), eastern Australia

 19. 265 Joost    Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand (this is a much older specimen than the one in the Conservatory’s garden)

 20. 277 Joost    Lemon (Citrus x limon) hybrid of southeast Asia species

 21. 281 Joost    Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island, South Pacific

Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla)

 22. 289 Joost    Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco)

 23. 293 Joost    Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea

 ** Cross to the north side of Joost**

 Joost Avenue, east of Congo Street to the Mini-Park, north side

Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus)

*Note: the next five trees are actually on Joost, along the side of 400 Congo)

 24. 400 Congo             Kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), eastern Australia

 25. 400 Congo             Hackberry (Celtis species)

 26. 400 Congo             Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), Iran

 27. 400 Congo             Mulberry (Morus species)

 28. 400 Congo             Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’), Morocco and Algeria

 29. 268 Joost                Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa),southwest Australia

 30 266 Joost                 Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile

 31. 262 Joost                Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), eastern Australia

 **Head up the steps through the Mini-Park, almost to Mangles Avenue**

 Within the Mini-Park, on right or left of steps

31B. (left)        Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), CA native, including San Francisco

 32. (left)           Champak (Magnolia champaca) South and southeast Asia (flowers are fragrant)

 33. (left)           Flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata), E Asia

 34. (right)        English or cherry laurel, English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Black Sea (this species and the next one were originally part of a hedge that has been allowed to   grow beyond its original bounds)

 35. (right)        Portugal laurel (Prunus lusitanica), France to Portugal and Morocco

 36. (left)           Islay (Prunus ilicifolius), San Francisco native tree (the namesake of Islais Creek in Glen Canyon)

 37. (left)           Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), CA native, including San Francisco

 38. (left)           Grapefruit tree (Citrus x paradisi), hybrid of two other citrus: sweet orange and pomelo (within the yard to the west)

 39. (right)        Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species

 40. (right)        Hopseed tree (Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’), native throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world (this was likely a hedge planting originally)

Century plant (Agave salmiana var. ferox)

 41. (right)        Century plant (Agave salmiana var. ferox), Mexico (this succulent is not a tree at all, but the tall, asparagus-like flower stalk will be tree-like in form when in full bloom; the stalk will likely grow another 15 feet taller before flowering; the plant will die after flowering)

 **Return down the steps to Joost**

 Joost Avenue, east to Baden Street, north side

42. 238 Joost    Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain

 43. 226 Joost    Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), eastern Australia (often the first species to bloom in January)

 ***Cross Joost carefully***

 Joost Avenue, east to Baden, south side

44. 201 Joost    Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), eastern USA to Mexico and Central America (these two trees are surprisingly evergreen)

English holly (Ilex aquifolium)

 45. 201 Joost    English holly (Ilex aquifolium), W Europe and N Africa (a magnificent specimen)

 Joost Avenue, east of Baden, south side

46. 199 Joost    Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia),southwest Australia (first tree across the street)

 Baden Street, Joost to Monterey, west side

47. 201 Joost    Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), Japan and Korea (tree is in the rear yard, on Baden)

 48. 190 Monterey        Silver wattle (Acacia dealbata), eastern Australia (tree is in the rear yard, on Baden, across the street; seldom planted anymore, as it has proven to be highly invasive)

Silver wattle (Acacia dealbata)

 48. 215 Baden             King palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana), eastern Australia

 [49 not used]

 Monterey Blvd, west from Baden, north side

50. 222 Monterey        Red-leaf photinia (Photinia x fraseri), hybrid (more commonly seen as a dense shrub with red new foliage along our freeways)

 51. 236 Monterey        Carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), eastern Australia (several nice specimens continue along Monterey to Congo St.)

 The Sunnyside Tree Walk ends here, where it began, at the Sunnyside Conservatory.

A short commercial: I’m Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com, and I created this tour. You can follow me on my tree-themed Instagram page at @sftreeguy. If you enjoyed the tour, I think you’ll like my book - it’s hard to keep a local book in print, so click here to buy a copy or visit your local independent bookseller to get a copy!

Tu Bishvat ט״ו בשבט‎ Tree Tour

This tour celebrates the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat (Hebrew: ט״ו בשבט‎), which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat (in 2021, Tu BiShvat begins at sunset on January 27 and ends in the evening of January 28). It is also called Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot, literally “New Year of the Trees”. In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day.

The tour starts at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, at the northwest corner of California Street and Presidio Avenue. From there, head west on California Street, towards Walnut Street.

1. The last two trees before you reach Walnut Street are London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia). The London plane is the most common street tree in San Francisco, and one of the most popular urban trees in the world. It was a natural hybrid that occurred as European visitors to America in the 1600s brought American plane trees home to Europe, where they mingled with a close botanical relative (oriental plane trees) from Europe. The “children” of these American and European parents had what we call “hybrid vigor”, and the London plane has been with us ever since!

Cross Walnut Street, and turn right onto Walnut.

2. 431 Walnut Two ficus trees (Ficus microcarpa), from South and Southeast Asia to northern Australia. This used to be San Francisco’s most common street tree, but it hasn’t been planted for many years, as its roots are bad sidewalk-breakers. We also lost a third of the city’s ficus trees in a cold snap in 1991, when the temperature dipped to 27 degrees fahrenheit in some parts of the city - causing the trees to die overnight.

two red-flowering gums (Corymbia ficifolia)

3. 3428 Sacramento Two red-flowering gums (Corymbia ficifolia), from southwest Australia, near Perth. Despite its name, this tree’s flowers can be red, orange, pink, white or in between - the flowers of these trees on Sacramento seem to have a coral hue to them. The fruits of this species look like the bowl of a small pipe. It’s my favorite San Francisco tree - it puts out spectacular blooms typically in July and August. This tree hasn’t gotten the message and is putting out its blooms in January!

Continue west on Sacramento, and cross Laurel Street.

4. NW corner of Sacramento and Laurel. New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand. This tree is called pōhutukawa in the Māori language, and that is what it is called by New Zealanders. This is the 2nd most common street tree in San Francisco. It’s known for its brilliant red flowers in summer - you can’t see them now, but you can see the other thing that the tree is famous for, which is its “aerial roots” - roots that hang down from the tree’s canopy.

5. 333 Laurel Two southern magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora), native to Southeast USA. (This is state tree of Mississippi). The next tree on Laurel is a large London plane tree (like the ones you saw on California Street). You can easily see the seed balls of the tree in the tree canopy.

Cross Laurel Street, and head left (west) on the north side of Clay Street.

pollarded London plane trees (Platanuts x acerifolia) in front of the Korean consulate

6. 3500 Clay In front of the Korean consulate at this address are four London plane trees that have been “pollarded”. To “pollard” a tree means to cut it repetitively, year after year, at the same joint - not every tree can handle this, but London plane trees react by creating a knobby ending that some (not all…) find aesthetically pleasing.

Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana)

7. 3512 Clay (to left of the driveway as you face the house) Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana) from Southern Brazil. This is the small tree with deep purple flowers.

8. 3580 Clay The large tree in the yard (not in the sidewalk) at this address is a Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum) from Eastern Australia. When it’s in bloom, this tree has a powerful perfume that you can smell from around a corner.

Turn right and head downhill on Locust.

9. 200 Locust. As you approach the corner, there are six blackwood acacia trees (Acacia melanoxylon) from southeast Australia at this address. These trees get very large and are very brittle when mature, so the City is discouraging the planting of this species.

Turn right onto Washington Street.

10. 3565 Washington Two Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) from Japan, China, Korea in the courtyard and against the house at this address.

Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus)

11. 3525-27 Washington A Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus); this is the first California native that we’ve seen so far - it’s native to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.

12. 3515 Washington Two olive trees (Olea europaea) from the Mediterranean Basin. This tree has a part in the story of Noah and the ark from the book of Genesis: וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב, וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה-זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ; וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ, כִּי-קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ. “And the dove came in to him at eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.”

13. 3461 Washington Another Victorian box tree from Australia (look up - it’s the big tree above the garage).

Turn right and head uphill on Walnut.

deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara)

14. As you walk up Laurel, at the driveway to the large corner property, you’ll see a very large deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) from the Himalayas. Among Hindus, deodar cedars are regarded as divine trees - the name deodar derives from the Sanskrit term devadāru, meaning “wood of the gods”.

Cross Clay Street, then turn left and cross Walnut to the east side of the street. Then head downhill on Walnut.

closeup of bark of a Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

15. 304 Walnut Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) from East Asia. The bark of this tree is beautiful - it comes off in puzzle-piece shapes.

Cross Sacramento Street and turn left/east on Sacramento.

16. All of the trees on this block of Sacramento between Walnut and Presidio are Brazilian pepper trees (Schinus terebinthifolius), from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. There are two at 3391 Sacramento, two at 3375 Sacramento, and three large ones at 3555 Sacramento.

mayten trees (Maytenus boaria)

17. When you reach the corner of Presidio Avenue, look kitty-corner to the northeast corner of Presidio and Sacramento, and you’ll see three mayten trees (Maytenus boaria) from Chile.

Turn right, head downhill one block to your starting point!

A short commercial: I’m Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com, and I created this tour. You can follow me on my tree-themed Instagram page at @sftreeguy. If you enjoyed the tour, I think you’ll like my book - it’s hard to keep a local book in print, so click here to buy a copy or visit your local independent bookseller to get a copy!

Telegraph Hill "Social Distancing" Tree Tour 1-16-21

If there is one iconic neighborhood in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill is it. On a beautiful but worrisomely dry Saturday, the neighborhood’s trees drew us to enjoy spectacular views of the Bay, the downtown skyline, and Russian and Nob hills, along with the distinctive gardens of the Filbert Steps. Narrow streets don’t always allow for generous tree plantings, but we found quite a few trees of interest in this week’s tour.  

Our walk begins at the northeast corner of Washington Square at Stockton and Filbert streets, opposite the popular Mama’s restaurant. It then heads north on Stockton to Greenwich Street, east on Greenwich for two blocks to its dead end below Coit Tower, then back west to Grant Avenue, south on Grant to Filbert, and east on Filbert to Kearny Street. At the intersection of Filbert and Kearny, the walk heads east up the steps toward Coit Tower, then back down the east side of the hill on the Filbert Steps to Montgomery Street, south on the east side of Montgomery to Vallejo Street, west on Vallejo to Columbus Avenue, northwest on Columbus to Stockton, and north on Stockton. At Union Street, the walk circles Washington Square in a clockwise direction, heading west on Union, northwest on Columbus, and finally east on Filbert, back to the beginning of the tour at Stockton and Filbert. This walk is approximately 2 miles long. Be forewarned that there are several flights of stairs on Filbert, Montgomery, and Vallejo streets; this is, after all, a hill.

 Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 49. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.  

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

Washington Square, northeast corner

1. Stockton at Filbert   Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia and South Pacific Islands. Sadly, these 3 trees have been topped (what’s that about, Recreation & Park Department?), but they remain the biggest specimens of this tree in San Francisco.

Filbert Street, west of Stockton, north side

2. 620 Filbert               Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), Southeast Asia (typically grown as a house plant in most of the country)

 Stockton Street, Filbert to Greenwich, west side

3. 1736 Stockton         Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (3 trees across the street, in front of the Maybeck Building; Bernard Maybeck was one of the Bay Area’s most important architects)

Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana)

 Stockton Street, north of Greenwich, west side

4. 1821 Stockton          Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), Eastern Australia (often the first species to bloom in January - this tree was just beginning to bloom on our visit)

 5. 1801 Stockton          Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), Eastern Australia (a large-leafed selection of the water gum seen at #41) 

Greenwich Street, Stockton to Grant, north side

6. 576 Greenwich        Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (the first in this row is one of San Francisco’s shapeliest specimens and is a rare female ginkgo, hence foul-smelling fruit in autumn) 

7. 568 Greenwich        Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis), Guadalupe Island, Mexico (above the wall; this species is perfectly adapted to San Francisco) 

8. 526 Greenwich        Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (this tree is the other female in the row – on our visit we could see fruits on the sidewalk and a few still hanging in the upper branches of the tree)

 Greenwich Street, east of Grant, north side  

9. 444 Greenwich        Loquat (Rhaphiolepis loquata, syn. Eriobotrya japonica), Southeastern China (fruit is edible) 

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis)

10. 442 Greenwich      Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (the furry trunk is characteristic of this palm) 

Octopus tree, (Schefflera actinophylla), N Australia) 

11. 430 Greenwich      Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands

 Greenwich Street, east of Grant, south side

12. 427 Greenwich      Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum), Brazil (city champion: the largest specimen of this species in San Francisco)

 13. 439 Greenwich      Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Eastern North America (2 trees) These trees, like the horse chestnut next door at 447 Greenwich, have been heavily pruned, apparently to preserve views.

Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) - we think this may be a “City Champion: - biggest philodendron in SF!

 14. 447 Greenwich      Horse chestnut (Aesculus sp.), Eurasia

 15. 449 Greenwich      Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South Asia (a common, although often problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)

 16. 459 Greenwich      English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), western and central Europe

 17. 483 Greenwich      Fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East Africa (4 trees)

A “rock library” on Grant with a Kerouac quote - only on Telegraph Hill!

 Grant Avenue, Greenwich to Filbert, west side

18. 1653 Grant            London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (2 trees)

 19. 1601 Grant            Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeastern USA

 Filbert Street, Grant to Kearny, north side

20. 480 Filbert             Brush cherry (Syzygium australe), Eastern Australia

 21. 456 Filbert             White alder (Alnus rhombifolia), California native

 End of Filbert Street at Kearny, inside the park

22. Inside the park      Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (source of pine nuts/pignoli)

 **Take the steps up to Telegraph Hill Boulevard and Coit Tower**

 Filbert Steps east of Kearny, north side

23. ¾ up the steps       Ombu (Phytolacca dioica), Argentina

 **Follow Lombard Hill Boulevard for a few yards, then take the Filbert Steps down toward Montgomery Street**

 Filbert Steps, east of Lombard Hill Blvd, north side

24. first set of steps     Karo (Pittosporum crassifolium), New Zealand

Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris)

 25. 310 Filbert             Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia), Eastern Australia (this small tree has been artfully trained over the gate to the entry walk)

 26. 300 Filbert             Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), New Caledonia. Similar to Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), but this species has a pronounced lean or curve at its base - it was only recently learned that the tree always leans towards the equator, so here it is leaning towards the south, but in the southern hemisphere it leans north.

 **Turn left when you hit the landing**

 27. 300 Filbert             Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), Southern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; loves San Francisco!)

Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta)

 28. 300 Filbert             Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California and Sonora, Mexico

 **Continue down the last flight of steps to the upper part of Montgomery, cross the street, and take the next set of steps down to the lower part of Montgomery, then head south**

 Montgomery Street, Filbert to Union, east side

29. 1360 Montgomery            Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea (this Art Deco building from 1937 was featured in the 1947 movie, “Dark Passage,” starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart)

 30. 1360 Montgomery            Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

 **Note the row of Italian stone pines in the median of Montgomery**

 31. 1308 Montgomery            Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), a variety of Eurasian species (2 trees in the median)

 **Continue south on Montgomery, down the steps, and on to Vallejo Street**

 Vallejo Street, Montgomery to Kearny, north side

32. top of first set of steps       Giant bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), South Africa (one of San Francisco’s biggest specimens of this species)

 33. 418 Vallejo            Flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata), East Asia

 34. 420 Vallejo            Mountain aloe (Aloe marlothii), South Africa

 35. 420 Vallejo            Bearss lime (Citrus x latifolia), Southeast Asia

 36. 442 Vallejo            Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia

 37. 455 Vallejo            Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeastern Australia (six trees across the street)

 38. 470 Vallejo            Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

 39. 490 Vallejo            Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

 Vallejo Street, Kearny to Grant, south side

WOW - this Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was an unexpected find at the corner of Vallejo and Kearny!

40. 1165 Kearny          Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Eastern North America (tree is on Vallejo at Kearny; possibly a “City Champion”; certainly one of San Francisco’s largest specimens)

 41. 551 Vallejo             Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild, hence the common name; it is San Francisco’s most commonly planted street tree)

 42. 1268 Grant            Red maple (Acer rubrum), Ontario to Florida to Texas (two trees on Vallejo)

 **There are few trees on the route along Columbus Avenue from Vallejo to Stockton, and on Stockton from Columbus to Union; enjoy the aromas of the many coffee shops and Italian restaurants along the way, and hope for an end to the pandemic so we may again enjoy the gastronomic pleasures of this neighborhood**

 Washington Square, south side (all trees are within the park)

43. Union near Stockton         Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia (2 trees)

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

 44. West of #43            Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), Morocco and Algeria

 45. Near the Pit Stop  Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to southwest Oregon; California coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

 46 Union near Columbus       Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas (3 young trees with brown fuzzy buds that will soon open into large fragrant white flowers)

 Washington Square, west side (all trees are within the park)

47. Columbus near Filbert      Fastigiate European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’), northwest Europe to Iran (eight young trees)

 Washington Square, north side (all trees are within the park)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia) in Washington Square park

48. Filbert opposite the church          London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern American and European species (six tall, deciduous trees)

 49. Filbert near Stockton        Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas

 The Telegraph Hill Tree Walk ends here, a few yards from its beginning at Stockton and Filbert.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Female ginkgos are "in season" - here's where to find them!

female ginkgo fruits - 1044 Shrader Street

Ginkgo trees are popular street trees worldwide, and San Francisco is no exception - many hundreds of them can be found citywide. There is a lot to like: ginkgos are beautiful trees, they thrive in urban settings, and the species has an amazing and ancient lineage, dating back 200 million years to the time of the dinosaurs.

But as in any metropolis, almost all of the ginkgos in San Francisco are male. That’s because female trees produce fleshy, yellowish, cherry-sized fruits that have a disagreeable (many would say disgusting) odor that has been likened to vomit or rancid butter. As a result, female ginkgos on San Francisco’s streets are typically mistakes - trees believed to be male when planted. And once owners discover that their ginkgo is a female, they often remove it, leaving even fewer on the City’s streets.

But I’m guessing that my blog readers would actually relish finding one of these smelly (but rare) trees nearby. Or maybe you have a pre-adolescent kid who would think it’s fun to visit a tree that smells like barf :) So readers, whatever your interest in the female of this species, I’ll give you some addresses in San Francisco where you can find female ginkgoes. There aren’t many, but I recently discovered some new ones in our 2020 #covidtreetours. The fruits are dropping from the trees now as I write this in January 2021, so it’s a good time to get the olfactory experience at these locations:

• 3371 21st between Valencia and Guerrero in the Mission

• 3386 22nd Street between Valencia and Guerrero in the Mission

• Three female trees at 845 Guerrero (but on the Liberty Street side of the building)

• 1351 Clay Street on Nob Hill

• Divisadero Street north of Oak Street, bordering the carwash

• 278 Eureka Street between 19th and 20th Street in the Castro

• 520-522 and 572 Greenwich on Telegraph Hill

• 116 Fair Oaks (two trees) in the Mission

• 654 Minnesota in Dogpatch

• 366 Montcalm Street in Peralta Heights

• 102 San Jose (two trees) in the Mission

• 592 Sanchez/19th in the Castro (two trees)

• 1044 Shrader in Cole Valley

• 2860 Union Street in Cow Hollow

  And if you know of others, let me know at michaelsullivan415 [at] gmail.com!

Duboce Triangle "Social-Distancing" Tree Tour 12-20-20

Artwork by Jason Dewees

Duboce Triangle is a popular residential neighborhood defined by Market Street, Castro Street, and Duboce Avenue, at the northeastern corner of Eureka Valley. Dense with Victorian row houses alongside Marina-style buildings and a few bland structures from the 50s and 60s, the neighborhood may be most notable for its two major tree-lined streets: Noe and Sanchez. These two streets, with their arching canopies of mature trees planted in the early 70s, bear a strong resemblance to the elm-lined residential streets that filled cities of the East Coast and Midwest a half-century ago.

Our walk begins below The Lookout, on the corner of Market, Noe and 16th streets, across from the venerable Cafe Flore. It heads north on Noe to Beaver Street, west on Beaver to Castro Street, north on Castro to Henry Street, east on Henry to Noe, north on Noe to Duboce Avenue, east on Duboce to Walter Street, south on Walter to 14th Street, east on 14th to Sanchez, south on Sanchez to Henry, west on Henry to Noe, and south on Noe to 16th (in front of Cafe Flore), across the street from where the tour began. This walk is approximately 1 ½ miles long.

 Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 44. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) in foreground; a Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta) behind them on the right

 Beaver Street, Noe to Castro, south side

1. Beaver, west of Noe            Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil (4 trees alongside of the Noe-Beaver Community Garden)

 2. 7 Beaver      Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California & Sonora, Mexico 

3. 7 Beaver      Ovens wattle (Acacia pravissima), Eastern Australia (watch for the soft yellow flowers within the next month)

 4. 9 Beaver      Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana), Lord Howe Island, Australia

 5. 9 Beaver      Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild; hence the common name; it is San Francisco’s most commonly planted street tree)

Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii)

 6. 11 Beaver    Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia and South Pacific Islands

 7. 21 Beaver    Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

 8. 21 Beaver    Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea

 9. 20 Beaver    Japanese blueberry tree (Elaeocarpus decipiens), East Asia (across the street)

 10. 22 Beaver  Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands (across the street)

 11. 69 Beaver  Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted street tree)

 Turn right on Castro. Castro Street, Beaver to Henry, east side

12. 245 Castro             Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas (brown fuzzy buds will open into large fragrant white flowers in a few weeks)

Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana) - San Francisco’s biggest specimen of this tree, at Castro and Henry Streets

 13. 239 Castro             Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeast USA (both sides of Castro are lined with these trees, from near Market to 14th streets, all planted in the early 70s)

 Northwest Corner of Castro and Henry streets

14. School grounds     Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), California native: La Jolla, San Diego and Santa Rosa Island (its very limited natural distribution makes it the rarest pine in the world; this one, on the corner of the school grounds, is the largest in San Francisco, a City Champion!)

 Turn right (downhill) on Henry Street, Castro to Noe, north side

15. 197 Henry             Ginkgos (Ginkgo biloba), China (row of 4 trees, on the south side of Henry; these are all male trees, hence no smelly fruit)

American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

 16. 190 Henry             Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (3 trees here, but many can be found throughout the neighborhood; the tree was first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

 17. 180 Henry             American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Eastern USA to Mexico and Central America

 18. 164 Henry             London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern North American and European species

 19. 156 Henry             Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

 20. 148 Noe     California buckeye (Aesculus californica), California; a San Francisco native tree! (tree is on Henry; note the silvery trunk)

California buckeye (Aesculus californica )

 21. 148 Noe     Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species (tree is on Henry)

 22. 148 Noe     Hibiscus tree (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), tropical Asia (tree is on Henry; not known to thrive in San Francisco’s cool climate, but this specimen is doing well)

 23. 148 Noe     Purple potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii), Paraguay (tree is on Henry; typically a large shrub, this one has been trained into a tree-like form; flowers all year)

 Turn left on Noe Street; Noe Street, Henry to 14th, west side

24. Noe at Henry        Shamel ash (Fraxinus uhdei), Mexico (Noe is lined with these trees, mostly clustered in the bulb-outs at each intersection, all planted in the early 70s)

Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) - San Francisco’s biggest carob, at 138 Noe Street

 25. 138 Noe     Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), East Mediterranean Basin (San Francisco’s biggest carob a “City Champion”!). The seed pods of this tree can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers.

 Noe Street, 14th to Duboce, east side

Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)

26. Median, north of 14th       Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), Eastern Australia (this tree is repeated in the median at Noe and Duboce; note the nearly round, silvery juvenile leaves, thought to resemble silver dollars)

 27. 111 Noe     Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (trees are on Noe and 14th at this address, as well as across the street at 892 - 14th; note the varying characters of the bark on these trees)

 28. 81 Noe       Marri (Corymbia calophylla), W Australia (looks like a white-flowered version of Corymbia ficifolia, #30B, but this is a distinct species with white flowers and differently shaped fruits

 29. 69 Noe       Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea ‘Rosenka’), Brazil (normally a vigorous vine, this specimen has been carefully staked and pruned into a small tree)

 30. 69 Noe       Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

 30-B. 61 Noe   Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

 31. 43 Noe       Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), a California native! (tree is across the street, within hospital parking lot; coast live oak is one of the few trees native to San Francisco)

Turn right on Duboce; Duboce Avenue, Noe to Walter, south side

32. 575 Duboce           Flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata), East Asia

 Turn right on Walter; Walter Street, Duboce to 14th, east side

Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’)

33. 27 Walter              Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South and Southeast Asia to northern Australia (a common, although problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)

trunk of an olive tree (Olea europaea) at 47 Walter

 34. 47 Walter              Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

 35. 65 Walter              Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia

 36. 69 Walter              Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), eastern Australia

 Turn left on 14th; 14th Street, Walter to Sanchez, north side

37. 822 - 14th              Red maple (Acer rubrum), Ontario to Florida to Texas

 **Turn right (south) on Sanchez to Henry, under a canopy of Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus) on the west side and red-flowering gums (Corymbia ficifolia)on the east side**

 Median on Sanchez at Henry streets

38. Median      Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), Eastern Australia (the bigger tree; note the more slender adult foliage, compared to tree #26)

                         Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (the smaller tree, under the silver dollar gum)

Red maple (Acer rubrum) at 822 14th Street

Turn right on Henry; Henry Street, Sanchez to Noe, north side

39. 148 Sanchez          Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia (tree is on Henry)

 40. 16 Henry               After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), Southwest Australian cultivar (often less vigorous than the green-leafed species)

 41. 22 Henry               Trident maple (Acer buergerianum), East Asia

 42. 64 Henry               Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia (this one has coral orange flowers)

 **Stroll south on Noe, under a canopy of Shamel ashes (Fraxinus uhdei) at each intersection; they were noted at stop #24.

 Turn left on Noe; Noe Street, 15th to Beaver, east side

43. 233 Noe     Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), East Asia

 Noe Street at Beaver, west side

44. 240 Noe     Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (several trees are on both Noe and Beaver)

 The Duboce Triangle Tree Walk ends at Noe and Market, in front of Cafe Flore.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Salesforce Park "Social-Distancing" Tour 12-13-20

The “prehistoric garden”, with a ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) in full autumn glory on the left, and monkey puzzles (Araucaria araucana) with their characteristic silhouette on the right.

To paraphrase the US Post Office’s slogan, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the three tree geeks from their appointed rounds… 

We survived a day of blistering heat in Mission Bay last summer, and a marginally cooler day in Westwood Park in early November, but Sunday, December 13, was our first encounter with real rain. And what a day it was, with more than half an inch adding to the half inch received Friday night, to roughly triple San Francisco’s seasonal rainfall to date. If you’re keeping track, that’s several inches below the average at this point in a rainy season that begins in October and runs (if we’re lucky) for almost six months.  

Interpretive panel in the park, showing San Francisco’s rainfall patterns compared to other American cities

To our surprise, we were not the only folks strolling around Salesforce Park. Pathways are well-paved, and occasional shelter provides protection from the heaviest downpours. An interpretive panel at the western end of the park, attached to the railing between the two succulent gardens, explains the natural rainfall pattern experienced in San Francisco. Most of California enjoys a mediterranean-type climate, with rain falling during the cooler months and a nearly complete lack of rainfall during the warmer months. The panel provides an illuminating graphic comparison of the rainfall patterns in other major US cities; it’s clear that San Francisco is pretty unusual in its winter-only rainfall.  

Mike, our fearless leader, had already created a walking tour of the park’s trees, which you can reach by clicking here, so we merely enjoyed a three-hour stroll-and-chat about the gardens. The glorious array of trees, shrubs, herbaceous, and succulent plants in the middle and around the perimeter of the three-block-long elevated park make up the greatest diversity of plants in any public space in the city, outside of the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Arranged by geographic origin, or in other distinct categories (succulents, palms, oaks), the plants offer a tour of the world’s flora, with an emphasis on the mediterranean-climate regions of southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East, California, central Chile, southwestern South Africa, and portions of South and Western Australia.  

One of two “desert gardens” in the park; the plants with the orangish trunk at the back and upper left are dragon trees (Dracaena draco) from the Canary Islands, Madeira, Morocco and Cape Verde

It’s unlikely that we’ll be dealing with snow around here, and nighttime usually brings a halt to tree touring, but if you find yourself anxious to get out on a rainy day this winter, we strongly urge you to make the trip to Salesforce Park and enjoy this bold, horticulturally rich garden in the sky. You’ll want to visit in every season; arborescent aloes are in flower now, along with some South African and Australian members of the Protea family. Later in winter, California natives will pop, along with those from Chile and the Mediterranean.

We can also recommend some take-out from Luke’s Lobsters, an urban shack at the corner of 2nd and Mission streets. The lobster rolls are the best this side of Maine, which, incidentally, does not enjoy a mild mediterranean climate like ours.

Pacific Heights "Social-Distancing" Tree Tour 11-29-20

With significant rains still at least another week away, we enjoyed a picture-perfect day in Pacific Heights, focusing on trees between Scott and Gough streets, and California and Vallejo streets. The neighborhood is filled with large and elegant homes, often with spectacular views of the Bay, and a number of international consulates. It also presents a delightful diversity of trees, some among the largest of their kind in the city.

 We begin this tour at an exceptional specimen at 2760 Sacramento Street, then head east to Steiner Street, north past Alta Plaza Park to Washington Street, east on Washington to Fillmore Street, north on Fillmore to Pacific Avenue, east on Pacific to Webster Street, north on Webster to Broadway, east on Broadway to Buchanan Street, north on Buchanan to Vallejo Street, and east on Vallejo to Gough Street. The tour then turns south on Gough to Broadway, west on Broadway to Octavia Street, south on Octavia to Washington, west alongside Lafayette Park to Laguna Street, and then south on Laguna alongside the park to Sacramento, west on Sacramento to Fillmore, south on Fillmore to California Street, west on California to Scott Street, and finally north on Scott to Sacramento, ending a few doors west of the tour’s beginning. This walk is just over 2-½ miles long.

soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) - a “City Champion” - biggest soapbark in San Francisco - and one of the best trees of any kind in the City!

 Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 47. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco, Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms) and Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture).

 Sacramento Street, Scott to Pierce, north side

1. 2760 Sacramento    Soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria), Chile (2 other trees, across the street and at 2730 Sacramento; very rare in San Francisco). This tree at 2760 Sacramento is a “City Champion” - the biggest of its species in San Francisco, and a spectacular tree generally.         

 Sacramento Street, Pierce to Steiner, south side

2. 2693 Sacramento    Cypress (Hesperocyparis sp.), this is a California native cypress, but the different species are often hard to tell apart, and this one stumped our three experts.

African fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior) at 2689 Sacramento - a beautiful specimen!

 3. 2689 Sacramento    African fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East and South Africa

 4. 2672 Sacramento    Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Eastern Mediterranean Basin (seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute— though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

 5. 2671 Sacramento    Carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), Eastern Australia

 **Note the attractive shade garden against the house at 2621 Sacramento**

 Turn left on Steiner.  Steiner Street, Sacramento to Clay, west side

6. 2211 Steiner            Rusty-leaf fig (Ficus rubiginosa), Eastern Australia

 7. 2231 Steiner            Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

 8. 2243 Steiner            Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), southeast Australia

 SE Corner of Alta Plaza Park (a lot of water runs off this corner of the park, which benefits these next two moisture-living species)

 9. Clay at Steiner        Red alder (Alnus rubra), Alaska to Santa Barbara; a San Francisco native!

 10. Steiner at Clay      Sourgum or tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), Eastern North America

 Steiner Street, Clay to Washington, east side

 11. 2302 Steiner          Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), Southern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; this plant loves San Francisco conditions!)

 Turn right (east) on Washington.  Washington Street, Steiner to Fillmore, north side

 12. 2400 Steiner          New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (tree is on Washington). In the City’s 2017 tree census, this tree was identified as the 2nd most common tree in San Francisco.

 13. 2566 Washington  Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Eastern USA to Mexico and Central America

 14. 2560 Washington  Springfire metrosideros (Metrosideros collina ‘Springfire’), French Polynesia and Cook Islands (this is the only one we know of in San Francisco)

 Turn left on Fillmore.  Fillmore Street, Washington to Jackson, west side

Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii)

15. 2401 Fillmore        Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa), South and southeast Asia to Australia (an uncommon form of this species; note the small pinkish fruits)

 16. 2411 Fillmore        Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan

 Fillmore Street, Jackson to Pacific, west side

17. 2529 Fillmore        Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), East Asia. One of the biggest of this species in San Francisco.

 Turn right (east) on Pacific.  Pacific Avenue, Fillmore to Webster, south side

18. 2351 Pacific           Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

 19. 2351 Pacific           Olives (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

8 London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) have been “pleached” at 2301 Pacific

 20. 2301 Pacific           London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (these 8 trees, wrapping around the corner onto Webster, have been pleached; google it to see what that’s all about. An amazing sight!)

 **Turn left and head north on Webster to Broadway, passing the Italian Consulate at 2590 Webster**

 Broadway, Webster to Buchanan, north side

21. 2190 Broadway     Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeast USA (a particularly fine specimen next to the corner of the building; 2 more trees to the right, and many in the neighborhood)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia)

22. 2120 Broadway     London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (these trees, in front of Hamlin School, have been pollarded, meaning that they have been repetitively cut, year after year, at a particular point to cause the tree to generate a knobby end - google “pollard” for more info)

 **Turn left and head north (downhill) on Buchanan**

 Buchanan Street, Broadway to Vallejo, east side

23. 2760 Buchanan     Saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), hybrid of East Asian species

 **Turn right and head east on Vallejo**

 Vallejo Street, Buchanan to Laguna, north side

24. 2090 Vallejo          Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), a variety of a Eurasian species (6 trees on Buchanan)

 25. 2090 Vallejo          Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

 Vallejo Street, Laguna to Octavia, north side

26. 2699 Laguna         Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (a fine specimen is across the street, but many can be found throughout the neighborhood; first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

 27. 1900 Vallejo          Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

 Vallejo Street, Octavia to Gough, north side

 28. 1868 Vallejo          Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia (2 trees flank the entry walk; the crushed leaves smell of lemon)

 Vallejo Street, east of Gough, north side

Northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) - San Francisco’s largest example of this species

29. 1772-1790 Vallejo  Northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta), New Zealand (very rare in San Francisco; this is a “City Champion” - the biggest of its kind in the City!) This tree was nominated to be an official “landmark tree” by the City, but the nomination failed in a 3-2 vote at the City’s Urban Forestry Council.

 30. 1772 Vallejo          Tītoki tree (Alectryon excelsus), New Zealand (a “City Champion”: the biggest of its kind in San Francisco)

 **Return to Gough and turn left to head uphill/south**

 Gough Street, Vallejo to Broadway, east side

31. 2424 Gough           London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (these trees were pollarded early in their lives, but have since been allowed to take a more natural shape)

 32. 2424 Gough           Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea

 **Note the Greek Consulate at 2441 Gough; then turn right and head west on Broadway to Octavia**

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis)

 Octavia Street, Broadway to Pacific, west side

33. 2415 Octavia         Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), Eastern Australia

 34. 2401 Octavia         Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain

 **Continue south/uphill on Octavia Street**

 Octavia Street, Jackson to Washington, east side

34-B 2280 Octavia       California bay (Umbellularia californica), Oregon and California, (inside the lower curved wall within the median). This is a San Francisco native tree - very rare to see it as a street tree but it’s doing well in his Octavia Street median.

 35. 2280 Octavia.        Avocado tree (Persea americana), Mexico and Central America (inside the upper curved wall within the median)

Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa) hedge at the Spreckels Mansion

 36. 2280 Octavia         Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA, native (sheared into a spectacular hedge around the old Spreckels Mansion, now owned by author Danielle Steel)

 Turn right on Washington.  Washington Street, Octavia to Laguna, south side

37. Lafayette Park      Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (the young ginkgoes along Washington have been badly affected by the persistent west winds on this hill)

 Turn left on Laguna.  Laguna Street, Washington to Sacramento, east side

 38. Lafayette Park      Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA, native (2 trees flanking the Clay Street entrance to Lafayette Park)

 39. Lafayette Park      She-oak (Casuarina sp.), Eastern Australia

 40. Lafayette Park      Willow (Salix sp.), Eastern North America (near the southwest corner of the park)

 Turn right on Sacramento.  Sacramento Street, Laguna to Buchanan, south side

 41. 2201 Sacramento   Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), southwest Australia

 42. 2241 Sacramento   After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), southwest Australian cultivar (2 young trees flanking the gate; often less  vigorous than the green-leafed species)

 Sacramento Street, Buchanan to Webster, south side

43. 2323 Sacramento   Sweetshade tree (Hymenosporum flavum), Eastern Australia

 44. 2323 Sacramento   Brush cherry (Syzygium australe, formerly S. paniculatum), Eastern Australia

 **Continue on Sacramento to Fillmore, then turn left and head south on Fillmore (lined with Indian laurel figs and evergreen pears) to California; then turn right on California**

 California Street, Fillmore to Steiner, south side

45. 2435 California (Mollie Stone’s)   Hedge maple (Acer campestre), Eurasia and North Africa (this is the largest hedge maple that we know of in San Francisco)

 46. Parking lot across the street          Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), Canary Islands (the tall narrow pines at east and west ends of the parking lot)

 California Street, Steiner to Pierce, south side

47. 2501 California     Trident maple (Acer buergerianum), East Asia (several colorful street trees on both sides of the gas station)

 Continue west on California to Scott, then north on Scott to Sacramento; the tour begins on Sacramento just east of Scott.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Noe Valley (north) "Social-Distancing" Tree Tour 11-22-20

[NOTE: we just chalked a tour, of Pacific Heights today - that tour will be up on the site in a couple of days. Click here for our older tours of the Bayview, Bernal Heights, Castro, Cow Hollow, Dogpatch, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Mission (central Mission), Mission (Inner Mission), Mission (Transmission), Mission Bay, Noe Valley (north), Noe Valley (south), NOPA, Potrero Hill, Richmond, Russian Hill, Transmission, Westwood Park and West Portal tours.]

We return to Noe Valley for another tour exploring the arboreal richness of this neighborhood - but this time, the northern half of the neighborhood. For this tour, we start out at The Animal Company, in its new headquarters at 24th and Castro streets, and remain north of 24th Street, between Douglass and Vicksburg streets.  

Today’s walk begins with an exceptional specimen on Castro Street, just north of 24th Street. The walk continues uphill, heads west on Elizabeth Street to Douglass Street, then north on Douglass to 23rd Street, and east on 23rd all the way to Vicksburg Street. At Vicksburg, the walk heads south to 24th Street, and then returns to its start at 24th and Castro, with a quick jog north on Noe for a special tree. This walk is roughly two miles long 

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 59. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Sweetshade tree (Hymenosporum flavum) - biggest one in San Francisco!

 Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

Castro Street, 24th to Elizabeth, west side

1. 1230 Castro              Sweetshade tree (Hymenosporum flavum), Eastern Australia. This is a “City Champion” - the biggest of its species in San Francisco!       

Turn left on Elizabeth Street. Elizabeth Street, Castro to Diamond, south side

2. 605 Elizabeth           Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) Eastern USA

berries of Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)

 3. 639 Elizabeth           Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), Eastern & southeast Australia

 4. 662 Elizabeth           Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), East Asia (2 trees across the street)

 5. 665 Elizabeth           Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Southern China

 6. 665 Elizabeth           New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (a row of 11 tightly pruned trees alongside St Philip Catholic Church)

 Elizabeth Street, Diamond to Douglass, south side

7. 700 Diamond           Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile (the tree is on Elizabeth Street)

Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)

 8. 709 Elizabeth           Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), East Asia

 9. 719 Elizabeth           Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (the furry trunks of this very nice specimen are characteristic of this palm)

 10. 761 Elizabeth         Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea

 11. 795 Elizabeth         Myoporum or ngaio in Māori (Myoporum laetum), New Zealand (this species is dying all over San Francisco, due to an insect pest called thrips)

 Noe Valley Courts

12. southwest corner of Douglass and Elizabeth   Silk oak (Grevillea robusta), Eastern Australia (a row of 5 trees along the edge of the park)

 Turn right on Douglass. Douglass Street, Elizabeth to 23rd, west side

13. 716 Douglass         Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China

 14. 708 Douglass         White champaca (Magnolia x alba), a hybrid of southeast Asian species (watch for the fragrant white flowers tucked within the foliage)

 15. 706 Douglas           Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia

Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla)

 Turn right on 23rd. 23rd Street, Douglass to Eureka, north side

16. 697 Douglass         Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), Australia (4 trees on 23rd). This is a very rare tree for San Francisco’s streets, although it is the tree planted in the median of Guerrero from 16th to 24th Streets.

 17. 697 Douglass         Tahitian lime (Citrus X latifolia), horticultural form of southeast Asian species (tree is in rear yard on 23rd; also a Mandarin orange (Citrus x tangerina; tree is to the right of the lime) 

18. 4250 - 23rd             Lemonwood, or tarata in  Māori (Pittosporum eugenioides), New Zealand

 19. 4250 - 23rd             Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

 23rd Street, Eureka to Diamond, north side

20. 4232 - 23rd             Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan

 21. 4228 - 23rd             Moonlight grevillea (Grevillea ‘Moonlight’), hybrid of Australian species

 22. 4206 - 23rd             Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea), Mexico & Central America

 23rd Street, Diamond to Castro, north side, then south side

23. 4172 - 23rd             Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California (a trio!)

 **Cross 23rd carefully; there is a surprising amount of traffic on this street**

Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa)

 24. 4179 - 23rd             Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana), Lord Howe Island, Australia (tree is growing in a large box on the walkway below the sidewalk)

 25. 4175 - 23rd             Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), Southern China and Vietnam

 26. 4173 - 23rd             Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (2 trees; formerly SF’s most planted street tree)

 27. 4148 - 23rd             Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil ( 7 trees across the street, close to the house)

 28. 4149 - 23rd             Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

close-up of a leaf - Silk oak (Grevillea robusta)

 29. 4143 - 23rd             Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Eastern USA to Mexico & Central America

 30. 4131 - 23rd             Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile

 31. 4125 - 23rd             Forest Pansy eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’), Eastern USA (come back in spring for its bright magenta flowers)

 32. 4121 - 23rd             Silk oak (Grevillea robusta), Eastern Australia (not remotely related to oaks)

 33. 4107 - 23rd             Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), Eastern Australia

 23rd Street, Castro to Noe, north side

Hercules tree aloe (Aloidendron ‘Hercules’)

34. 4082 - 23rd             Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa), South & southeast Asia to Australia (an uncommon form of this species; note the pinkish fruits on the sunny side of the tree)

 35. 4074 - 23rd             London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species

 36. 4062 - 23rd             Purple potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii), Paraguay (typically a large shrub, this has been trained into a tree-like form; flowers all year)

 37. 4052 - 23rd             Hercules tree aloe (Aloidendron ‘Hercules’), hybrid of two South African species; the flowering shrub with it is an island mallow, Malva assurgentiflora; note the well-tended succulent garden against the house)

Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’)

 38. 4042 - 23rd             Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

 [39 not used]

 40. 4038 - 23rd             Marri (Corymbia calophylla), W Australia (looks like a white-flowered Corymbia ficifolia, #46, but this is a distinct species with white flowers and differently shaped fruits

 41. 4024 - 23rd             Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia (the crushed leaves smell of lemon)

 42. 998 Noe                 Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil   (tree is on Noe, just north of 23rd; one of SF’s best specimens)                       

Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)

23rd Street, Noe to Sanchez, north side

43. 3998 - 23rd             Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), East Asia (6 trees create a tunnel-like effect here)

 44. 3984 - 23rd             Giant bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), South Africa (likely SF’s biggest)

 **Cross 23rd carefully, to the south side of the street**

 45. 3947 - 23rd             Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), southwest Australia

 46. 3945 - 23rd             Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), southwest Australia

We loved this garage door on 23rd Street!

 47. 3915 - 23rd             Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), southeast Australia

 23rd Street, Sanchez to Vicksburg, south side

48. 3883 - 23rd             Red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon), Eastern & southeast Australia

 49. 3879 - 23rd             African fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East & South Africa

Turn right at Vicksburg.  Vicksburg Street, 23rd to 24th, west side

50. 102 Vicksburg        Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild; hence, the common name; SF’s most commonly planted street tree)

 51. 138 Vicksburg        Snow-in-summer tree or flax-leaf paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia), Eastern Australia (feel the spongy bark)

 52. 138 Vicksburg        Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), Iran

 Cross 24th Street, and turn right on 24th. 24th Street, Vicksburg to Sanchez, south side

Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum) - the first tree ever planted by Friends of the Urban Forest in April 1981!

53. NW corner of Noe Valley Town Square   Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), a California and even a San Francisco native!

 54. 3885 - 24th             Little Gem magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), southeast USA

 24th Street, Sanchez to Noe, south side

55. 3913 - 24th             Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Southern China (this is the very first tree planted by Friends of the Urban Forest, in April 1981; note the new location here of Ristorante Bacco, the editor’s favorite Italian restaurant)

 56. 3917 - 24th             Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), Eastern Australia

 57. 3953 - 24th             Red maple (Acer rubrum), Florida to Canada to Texas

close-up of leaf: Red maple (Acer rubrum)

Jog up Noe to #1082, then backtrack.  Noe Street, just north of 24th, west side

58. 1082 Noe                Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeast USA (this specimen was planted on April 22, 2000, in celebration of Earth Day)

 24th Street, Noe to Castro, south side

59. 4021 Noe                Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), China & Vietnam (this species seldom does well in SF)

 This tree walk ends at Castro and 24th streets, near its beginning at 1230 Castro, just north of 24th.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

NOPA “Social-Distancing” Tree Tour 11-14-20

[NOTE: our newest tour of the NOPA neighborhood is below. Click here for our Westwood Park tour. For earlier tours, click here for the Bayview, Bernal Heights, Castro, Cow Hollow, Dogpatch, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Mission (central Mission), Mission (Inner Mission), Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, Richmond, Russian Hill, Transmission, Westwood Park and West Portal tours.]

As long as we have good weather, like this past Sunday in NOPA, we’ll continue chalking out these tours. Thanks to all who greet us so warmly on these tours and share with us their enthusiasm for our modest attempts to spread the good word about San Francisco’s incredible urban forest. 

Soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) at 736 Masonic - largest soapbark in San Francisco

Today’s walk in the neighborhood known as NOPA, on the north side of the Panhandle, begins with an outstanding tree on Masonic Avenue, just north of Hayes Street. From there, it heads north to Grove Street, east on Grove to Lyon Street, north on Lyon to McAllister Street, east on McAllister to Baker Street, and north on Baker to Turk. On Turk, it heads west for about a third of a block, before returning to Baker and turning south to Golden Gate Avenue, then east on Golden Gate to Broderick Street, north on Broderick to Turk, then back south on Broderick to Grove, west on Grove to Baker, south on Baker to Hayes, and finally west on Hayes back to the start of the walk at Masonic. This walk is just under two miles long. 

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

Masonic Avenue, Hayes to Grove, east side

1. 736 Masonic            Soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria), Chile (city champion; biggest of this species in San Francisco!)        

2. 700 block of Masonic           Shamel ash (Fraxinus uhdei), Mexico (a row of tall trees across the street on the west side of Masonic, along side City College’s John Adams Center) 

Turn right (east) on Grove Street. 

Grove Street, Masonic to Central, north side

3. 1798 Grove              Snow-in-summer tree or flax-leaf paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia), East Australia (feel the spongy bark) 

4. 1772 Grove              Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild; hence, the common name; the tree is also known as a “small leaf tristania”).  This is San Francisco’s most commonly planted street tree                       

Grove Street, Central to Lyon, north side

5. 1690 Grove              Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (3 trees) 

6. 1660 Grove              Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), China & Vietnam (this species seldom does well in San Francisco, but these seem to be thriving, at least in this season) 

7. 1656 Grove              Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’), Southern China & Japan to Southeast Asia

8. 1646 Grove              Italian buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus), Mediterranean Basin (usually a large shrub)

 Turn left (north) on Lyon Street. 

Lyon Street, Grove to Fulton, east side

Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis)

9. 542 Lyon                  Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis), Guadalupe Island, Mexico (perfectly adapted to San Francisco) 

Lyon Street, Fulton to McAllister, west side

Dwarf southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’)

10. 605 Lyon                Japanese blueberry tree (Elaeocarpus decipiens), East Asia 

Turn right (east) on McAllister Street. 

McAllister Street, Lyon to Baker, north side

11. 1872 McAllister     Dwarf southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), Southeast USA 

12. 1856 McAllister     Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), a variety of a Eurasian species 

13. 1836 McAllister     Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South & Southeast Asia to Northern Australia (4 trees; a common, albeit problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco) 

14. 1806 McAllister     Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted street tree) 

We loved this garage door on Grove Street!

15. 1801 McAllister     Firethorn (Pyracantha hybrid), Eurasia (across the street; the crooked tree with bright red fruits) 

Turn left (north) on Baker Street. 

Baker Street, McAllister to Golden Gate, west side

16. 711 Baker               Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), a California native confined to two small populations near Carmel, California, at Cypress Point in Pebble Beach and at Point Lobos. 

Mayten (Maytenus boaria)

17. 715 Baker               Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile (this vigorous tree is sending up shoots in nearby tree boxes and in cracks in the sidewalk) 

Baker Street, Golden Gate to Turk, west side

Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) A giant tree - biggest peppermint willow in San Francisco!

18. 841 Baker               Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia (this giant is a city champion – the biggest of its species in San Francisco!) 

Turn left on Turk Street. 

Turk Street, west of Baker, south side

19. 861 Baker               Tītoki tree (Alectryon excelsus), New Zealand (a very rare tree in San Francisco, but we think undeservedly rare!) 

20. 861 Baker               Avocado tree (Persea americana), Mexico & Central America 

22. 2037 Turk              Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla), Eastern Australia (2 trees well inside the fenced yard) 

Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa)

23. 2047 Turk              Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), Southern China and Vietnam 

**Turn around and return to Baker, cross street and head right (downhill) on Baker** 

Baker Street, Turk to Golden Gate, east side

23. 830 Baker               Trident maple (Acer buergerianum), East Asia 

Turn left on Golden Gate Avenue. 

Golden Gate Avenue, Baker to Broderick, north side

24. 1888 Golden Gate              Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia & South Pacific Islands 

Turn left (north) on Broderick Street. 

tree of heaven, AKA “the tree that grows in Brooklyn” (Ailanthus altissima)

Broderick Street, Golden Gate to Turk, west side

25. 929 Broderick        Tree of heaven, also known as “the tree that grows in Brooklyn” (Ailanthus altissima), China & Taiwan. It’s considered a weed tree in many places around the world, but it’s uncommon in San Francisco.  This one is a city champion: the biggest of its kind in San Francisco! 

**Head north to the traffic signal at Turk and cross to the east side of Broderick, then turn right (south) on Broderick** 

Broderick Street, Turk to Golden Gate, east side

26. 914 Broderick        Cherry laurel, English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), Black Sea 

Broderick Street, Golden Gate to McAllister, east side

27. 850 Broderick        Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (4 trees) 

28. 1698 McAllister     Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia (row of 5 trees) 

closeup - leaves and (very fragrant!) flowers of Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum)

29. 1700 McAllister     Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil   (2 young trees on McAllister, at corner of Broderick, across the street) 

Broderick Street, McAllister to Fulton, east side

30. 730 Broderick        Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), Eastern Australia 

31. 1384 Fulton            London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species 

At Fulton Street, cross Fulton and continue south on Broderick Street. 

Broderick Street, Fulton to Grove, west side

32. 641 Broderick        Fern-leaf Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius); this subspecies is found in California’s Channel Islands, except Catalina Island. 

33. 639 Broderick        Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), a hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco – click here for the interesting story of this tree) 

34. 601 Broderick        European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia (not usually well-adapted to San Francisco)  

Turn right on Grover Street.  

Grove Street, Broderick to Baker, north side

35. 601 Broderick        Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (row of young trees are on Grove) 

[36 not used] 

37. 1432 Grove            Beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata), Texas & N Mexico (4 young trees with stiff, sharply pointed leaves) 

Dragon tree (Dracaena draco)

38. 1432 Grove            Dragon tree (Dracaena draco), Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and W Morocco (a very cool tree - far too rare in San Francisco!) 

39. 1477 Grove            Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeastern Australia (3 trees across the street, alongside the San Francisco Health Care & Rehab Center) 

40. 1480 Grove            Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Southern China 

41. 1477 Grove            Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia), Southeastern Australia (across the street at the corner of the San Francisco Health Care & Rehab Center) 

Grove Street, Baker to Lyon, north side

42. 1500 Grove            Myoporum or ngaio in Māori (Myoporum laetum), New Zealand (this species is dying all over San Francisco, due to an insect pest called thrips;     these trees, on both Grove and Baker, are doing uncommonly well) 

**Turn left and head south on Baker toward Hayes** 

Baker Street, Grove to Hayes, west side

Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia)

43. 1501 Grove            Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) (two trees are on Baker side of the building).  This is one of the few trees native to San Francisco 

44. 1477 Grove            Red ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon), Eastern & Southeastern Australia (tree is across the street at San Francisco Health Care & Rehab Center) 

45. 405 Baker               Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia    

Cross Hayes Street, and turn right on Hayes. 

Hayes Street, Baker to Lyon, south side

46. 1500 Hayes            Round-leaf sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Rotundiloba’), Eastern USA to Mexico & C America (a selection with rounded leaf lobes, quite distinct from the other sweetgums; most of the young trees in this block are this selection) 

47. 1500 Hayes            Yarwood plane tree (Platanus occidentalis ‘Yarwood’), Eastern North America (the row of trees on the south side of Gene Friend Way; this selection originated at Sather Tower, UC Berkeley) 

48. 370 Lyon                Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands (2 trees within the fenced yard on Lyon, just south of Hayes) 

Hayes Street, Lyon to Central, south side

Red-leaf photinia (Photinia x fraseri)

49. 1673 Hayes            Red-leaf photinia (Photinia x fraseri), China (more commonly seen as a dense shrub with red new foliage along our freeways) 

50. 464 Central            Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia (3 trees, just south of Hayes; this tree loves San Francisco’s climate) 

Hayes Street, Central to Masonic, south side

51. 1731 Hayes            Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), East Asia 

52. 1757 Hayes            Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), Eastern & Southeastern Australia 

Turn right on Masonic.   

This tree walk ends at Masonic Avenue, near its beginning at 736 Masonic, just north of Hayes.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Cow Hollow "Social-Distancing" Tree Tour 11-8-20

Tour starting point - the now-abandoned Russian Consulate at 2790 Green Street

[NOTE: we chalked a tour of the NOPA neighborhood on Sunday/Nov. 15 - it will be up on this site by Tuesday. Click here for our Westwood Park tour. For earlier tours, click here for the Bayview, Bernal Heights, Castro, Cow Hollow, Dogpatch, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Mission (central Mission), Mission (Inner Mission), Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, Richmond, Russian Hill, Transmission, Westwood Park and West Portal tours.]

This week’s tree walk takes us to the adjoining neighborhoods of Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights, among the more affluent neighborhoods in the City. Elegant homes perch along tree-lined streets affording magnificent views north to the Bay. Generous budgets for landscape maintenance in this area often mean that trees are regularly pruned and shaped to preserve those views.  

This walk begins next to the former Russian Consulate on outer Green Street (they were invited to leave a couple of years ago, and the building, still own by Russia, appears to be empty now). The walk heads east on Green to Broderick Street, north on Broderick to Union Street, west on Union to Baker Street. It then crosses Union and continues east on Union to Divisadero Street and uphill to Vallejo Street (in Pacific Heights). The walk heads west on Vallejo to Baker Street, and back downhill to the start at Green and Baker. This walk is about a mile long, and does include both uphill and downhill stretches.

Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana), with the Russian consulate in the background on the left

 Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 37. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

 Green Street, Baker to Broderick, north side

1. 2770 Green              Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana), Lord Howe Island, Australia (a pair of trees in the sidewalk next to this beautifully tended garden, designed by Piotr Mazurek of Garden Fantasia)

 2. 2750 Green              Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas

 3. 2722 Green              Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species

Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

 4. 2700 Green              Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), Southern  China and Vietnam

 5. 2700 Green              New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (2 trees; this is the #2 most common tree in San Francisco, where it loves the climate; note the aerial roots)

Turn left on Broderick. Broderick Street, Green to Union, west side

6. 2745 Broderick        Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeast USA (state tree of Mississippi)

Turn left on Union. Union Street, Broderick to Baker, south side

7. 2727 Union             Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile (4 trees)

 8. 2749 Union             Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla), Eastern  Australia (note the aerial roots emerging from the trunk)

Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis)

 9. 2759 Union             Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeast Australia

Cross the Street at Baker and backtrack on Union’s north side.  Union Street, Baker to Broderick, north side

10. 2784 Union            Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Western Mediterranean Basin (northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

 11. 2728 Union            Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (3 trees)

 12. 2700 Union            Red maple (Acer rubrum), Florida to Canada to Texas               

 Union Street, Broderick to Divisadero, north side

13. 2680 Union            Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), West and Central China (foliage is taking on autumn colors)

Olive (Olea europaea)

 14. 2664 Union            Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (a magnificent specimen)

 15. 2636 Union            Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia (4 trees)

 [16 not used]

 17. 2616 Union            Rusty-leafed fig (Ficus rubiginosa), Eastern  Australia (another fig, Ficus pumila, is climbing on the walls below and behind these 5 trees)

 18. 2600 Union            Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South & Southeast Asia to Northern Australia (4 trees; a common, albeit problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)

Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)

 19. 2600 Union            Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia (tree is on Divisadero; this tree loves San Francisco’s climate; the flowers on this specimen are orange)

 Turn right/uphill at Divisidero. Divisadero Street, Union to Green, east side

20. 2740 Divisadero    European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Europe (the tree is against the stairs, next to the utilities)

 21. 2710 Divisadero    Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (these two trees have been “skinned”: the fuzzy leaf bases have been pruned off to reveal the ringed trunks; note this richly planted garden, also designed by Piotr Mazurek)

 **Continue uphill one more block to Vallejo**

You’ll never see a more beautiful or densely planted sidewalk cut than under this Trachycarpus!

 Turn right at Vallejo Street. Vallejo Street, Divisadero to Broderick, north side

22. 2898 Vallejo          Eucryphia trees (Eucryphia x ‘Nymansay’), hybrid of Chilean species (2 trees flanking the front window; fragrant white flowers in August)

Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus)

 23. 2730 Vallejo          Akebono flowering cherry (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’), Japan

 24. 2732 Vallejo          Hybrid date palm (Phoenix x, likely P. canariensis x roebelenii)

 25. 2732 Vallejo          Snowy River wattle (Acacia boormanii), Southeast Australia (uncommon in San Francisco;        these trees create a curtain to shield the windows)

 26. 2760 Vallejo          Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Eastern  Mediterranean Basin (seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

 27. 2760 Vallejo          Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern  Australia

 28. 2780-2782 Vallejo  London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern  USA species and European species (these five trees, like many in the neighborhood, have been pollarded over the years, meaning repetitively cut at the same point to cause the branch to form a large, bulbous endpoint)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia) leaf

 Vallejo Street, Broderick to Baker, north side

29. 2820 Vallejo          Wisteria “tree” (Wisteria sinensis), China (typically a vine, this one has been pruned into a tree-like shrub)

Red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea)

 30. 2828 Vallejo          Red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea), hybrid of European and American species (4 trees; these are city champions - the biggest in San Francisco; they have spectacular red flowers when they bloom in May)

 **The pink flowering vine on the fence in front of 2856 Vallejo is Mandevilla ‘Alice du Pont’**

 31. 2858 Vallejo          Little Gem magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), Southeast USA

 32. 2880 Vallejo          Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile

 33. 2900 Vallejo          Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Australia, Norfolk Island (tree is across the street, at the northwest corner of Vallejo and Baker; it’s rare to see this tree planted in the sidewalk)

 Turn right/downhill at Baker Street. Baker Street, Vallejo to Green, east side

34. 2898 Vallejo          Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand (rows of this tree are on both sides of Baker, north of Vallejo)

 35. 2536 Baker            New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium), New Zealand (this species has two color forms in San Francisco - pink and deeper red; the tree is well adapted to San Francisco’s climate and soils)

New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium)

 36. 2550 Baker            European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia (not usually well-adapted to San Francisco)

 37. 2552 Baker            Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted tree, but rarely planted now)

 This tree walk ends at the Russian Consulate at the northeast corner of Green and Baker, a few yards ahead.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

A Long Goodbye to San Francisco's Best Tree?

[NOTE: we chalked a tour of Cow Hollow on Sunday/8 - it will be up in a day or two. Click here for our Westwood Park tour. For earlier tours, click here for the Bayview, Bernal Heights, Castro, Dogpatch, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Mission (central Mission), Mission (Inner Mission), Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, Richmond, Russian Hill, Transmission and West Portal tours.]

The red flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia) is, in my opinion, San Francisco’s iconic tree. There’s no other tree that puts out such a show from July to October - massive inflorescences of red, orange, pink or white flowers that cover the entire crown of the tree. I still remember my brother Mark visiting from upstate New York a few years ago - as we passed a red gum in the Mission, he turned to me and said “Wow - what’s THAT tree”?! And the tree absolutely loves our cool coastal Mediterranean climate, very much like its home in southwestern Australia, near Perth. You won’t find many red gums in Walnut Creek or Concord, but they thrive in San Francisco.

18th Street near Dolores Park

Another reason to be patriotic about this tree in San Francisco: the largest red gum in the United States is in the St. Francis Wood neighborhood, at the corner of Monterey Boulevard and Junipero Serra Boulevard. In fact, most of Monterey Boulevard in St. Francis Wood are lined with towering red gums.

So it’s very sad that the City has stopped planting these magnificent trees - almost none have been planted in the last decade. Why? Because they have very wide trunks, and require a big sidewalk cut, meaning that there are fewer spots that are well suited for them than smaller trees. I suspect (now that the City is responsible for street tree maintenance) it may also have to do with the expense of maintaining these trees as they mature - red gums can get very big, and are more expensive to prune and maintain than smaller trees. I’ve noticed that the we’re seeing more and more maple trees on our streets (familiar to my brother Mark), but our urban forest is gradually losing some of the color that makes San Francisco special.

I believe in “right tree in the right place”, so red gums doesn’t belong everywhere. But there’s no reason to stop planting this amazing, beautiful, iconic, San Francisco-loving tree entirely. There are plenty of places in the City with enough room for Corymbia ficifolia. Let’s not give up on this this magnificent tree! Help me nag the Department of Public Works and Friends of the Urban Forest to restart the planting of one of our best street trees!

Because otherwise, it’s a long goodbye to our red flowering gums - we’ll see fewer and fewer each year, and our urban forest will look a little bit more like my brother Mark’s green (but a bit dull) upstate New York forest.

Monterey Boulevard median in St. Francis Wood

Bay Street at Fort Mason

Westwood Park “Social-Distancing” Tree Tour 11-1-20

Immediately west of San Francisco City College lies the quiet neighborhood of Westwood Park, where most of the bungalow-style homes date back to the 1920s. A surprisingly warm, picture-perfect autumn day welcomed us for our seventeenth tree tour, offering up some uncommon and interesting trees along the gently curving streets and in the many horticulturally rich front gardens—somewhat surprising since this can be a fairly foggy neighborhood.

 This tree walk begins at the northwest corner of the intersection of Miramar Avenue and Ocean Avenue, the southern edge of Westwood Park. It heads north to Southwood Drive, east on Southwood and then north on Plymouth Avenue to Montecito Avenue, southwest on Montecito to Eastwood Drive, west on Eastwood to Miramar (“Main Street” of Westwood Park), and north on Miramar to Monterey Blvd. The tour then tucks briefly into Monterey Heights on Yerba Buena Avenue, returning to Monterey and heading west to Northgate Drive, then south on Northgate (into Mt Davidson Manor), west on Darien Way, southwest on Manor Drive, east on Kenwood Way, and back into Westwood Park on Faxon. It then heads south on Faxon to Wildwood, east on Wildwood, and finally south on Miramar to the beginning at Ocean. This walk is about two miles long.

 Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 54. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

 Miramar Avenue at Ocean, northwest corner

1. 1500 Ocean             Red-flowering gum hybrid (Corymbia ficifolia hybrid?), Southwest Australia (the pendulous branches and red central leaf vein suggest that it is not a pure Corymbia ficifolia)

 Miramar Avenue median at Southwood, north side of intersection

2. Median        Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (source of pine nuts/pignoli)

 Southwood Drive, Miramar to San Ramon, west side

3. 80 Southwood        Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia (this tree loves SF’s climate)

 4. 55 Southwood        Bloodwood (Baloghia inophylla), Eastern Australia (quite possibly the only one of                           its kind in SF, outside of the Botanical Gardens)

 5. 44 Southwood        Japanese blueberry tree (Elaeocarpus decipiens), Eastern Asia

 6. 32 Southwood        Grapefruit tree (Citrus x paradisi), hybrid of Southeast Asian species

 7. 101 San Ramon       Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia (who would think it survive this far west in SF; perhaps another sign of a warming climate)

 8. 101 San Ramon       Edible fig tree (Ficus carica), Mediterranean Basin & Middle East (this young specimen has deeply lobed leaves)

 Plymouth Avenue, San Ramon to Wildwood, west side

9. 1315 Plymouth       Silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum), Cape Town, South Africa

Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’)

 10. 1315 Plymouth      Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia x candida ‘Double White’), Andes Mountains of South America

 Plymouth Avenue, Wildwood to Montecito, west side

11. 1401 Plymouth      Cork oak (Quercus suber), Spain & Portugal (the bark of this tree provides the cork used in wine bottles)

 12. 1405 Plymouth      Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

 12B. 1422 Plymouth   Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’), South China & Japan to Southeast Asia

Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina)

 13. 401 Montecito       Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (it grows in streamside locations in the wild; hence, the common name; SF’s most commonly planted street tree)

 14. 401 Montecito       Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), Chile (stiff, sharply pointed are said to prohibit monkeys, or anything else, from climbing the trees)

 **Turn left on Montecito Avenue and right on Eastwood Drive**

 Eastwood Drive, Montecito to Miramar, northeast side

15. 176 Eastwood       Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), New Caledonia

 Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Monterey to Southwest Oregon; CA coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

 Lemon (Citrus x limon) South Asia

 16. 690 Miramar       Pindo palm (Butia odorata), Southern Brazil & Uruguay

 Miramar Avenue, Eastwood to Northwood, east side

17. 730 Miramar         Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea), Central America

 Miramar Avenue, Northwood to Monterey, east side

18. 800 Miramar         Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), East Asia

 ***Cross Monterey carefully at the crosswalk (traffic does not have a stop sign), then climb the stairs and cross the other half of Monterey at the crosswalk***

 Yerba Buena Avenue, north of Monterey, east side

19. 990 Monterey        Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), California native! (one of the few trees native to San Francisco)

Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’)

 20. 481 Yerba Buena   New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (2 trees; widely planted in SF, where it loves the climate)

 21. 461 Yerba Buena   Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

 21B. 431 Yerba Buena Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’), Morocco & Algeria

 **Cross Yerba Buena Avenue carefully***

 Yerba Buena Avenue, north of Monterey, west side

22. 422 Yerba Buena   African linden (Sparmannia africana), South Africa

 23. 460 Yerba Buena   Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis), Chile (one of SF’s finest specimens)

 24. 460 Yerba Buena   Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), Año Nuevo, Monterey, Cambria, CA native, most widely planted coniferous tree in the world (mostly for lumber; this is a particularly fine specimen, standing tall behind the palm)

 Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Southwest Oregon & Northwest California (this is the weeping tree next to the stairs)

 Monterey Blvd, Yerba Buena to St. Elmo, north side

25. 1010 Monterey      Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Australia, Norfolk Island (it’s the tall “Christmas tree” in the rear yards of houses across the street, and on the horizon)

 26. 195 St. Elmo          Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas (big, white fragrant flowers appear in winter)

 St. Elmo Way at Monterey, northwest corner

27. 196 St. Elmo          Tree aloe (Aloidendron barberae, formerly Aloe bainesii), Southern & East Africa

 Monterey Blvd, St. Elmo to El Verano, north side

28. 1100 Monterey      King palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana), East Australia (4 trees)

 **Cross Monterey Blvd at the crosswalk onto Northgate Drive**

 Northgate Drive at Darien, northeast corner

29. 100 Northgate       Pindo palm (Butia odorata), Southern Brazil & Uruguay (SF’s champion specimen)

 Darien Way, west of Northgate, north side, then south side

30. 855 Darien            Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), Europe & W Asia

 31. 855 Darien            Polylepis sp., Andes Mountains of South America (highest altitude tree genus in the New World)

 ***Cross Darien carefully to the south side***

 32. 870 Darien            Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia

 33. 240 Manor             English holly (Ilex aquifolium), Western Europe & North Africa

 33B. 240 Manor          Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil

 [34 not used]

 Manor Drive, Darien to Upland, east side

35. 240 Manor             Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain

 Manor Drive, Upland to Kenwood, east side

36. 165 Manor             Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (2 fairly young trees across the street; they are just beginning to develop their trunks)

 37. 120 Manor             European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia (not usually well-adapted to SF)

 38. 120 Manor             Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia

 Kenwood Way, Manor to Keystone, south side

39. 95 Keystone          Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Western Mediterranean Basin

 ***Cross Kenwood carefully***

 Kenwood Way, Keystone to Upland, north side

40. 160 Kenwood        Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Mediterranean Basin & Ireland

 41. 156 Kenwood        Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), Eastern Australia (feel the spongy bark)

 42. 130 Kenwood        Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia (the crushed leaves smell of lemon)

 Darien Way, north of Kenwood, east side

43. 965 Darien            Dark Shadows tea tree (Leptospermum ‘Dark Shadows’), Australia (2 trees)

 44. 971 Darien             Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

 **Return to Kenwood Way and head east a short block to Faxon Avenue and head south on Faxon**

 Faxon Avenue, Kenwood to Wildwood, west side

45. 849 Faxon              African fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), Eastern & Southern Africa

 46. 840 Faxon              Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China

 **Follow Wildwood Way east to Westwood Drive, and head south on Westwood**

 Westwood Drive, Wildwood to Miramar, east side

47. 98 Westwood        Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), China & Vietnam (this species seldom does well in SF, but these seem to be thriving)

 48. 91 Westwood        Trident maple (Acer buergerianum), East Asia (tree is across the street)

 49. 66 Westwood        Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia

 50. 42 Westwood        Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species (note that this garden is planted almost exclusively with CA native plants)

 51. 20 Westwood        Torbay Dazzler cabbage tree (Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler’), New Zealand

Silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum)

 52. 20 Westwood        Silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum), Cape Town, South Africa

 Miramar Avenue, Westwood to Ocean, west side

53. 447 Miramar         Himalayan white birch (Betula utilis var. jacquemontii), Himalayas

 54. 425 Miramar         Silk oak (Grevillea robusta), Eastern Australia

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Glen Park "Social Distancing" #covidtreetour

[NOTE: we just chalked a tour of the Westwood Park neighborhood; that tour should be up on this site by Monday evening. For our earlier tours, click here for the Bayview, Bernal Heights, Castro, Dogpatch, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Lower Haight, Mission (central Mission), Mission (Inner Mission), Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill, Richmond/SeatCliff, Russian Hill, Transmission and West Portal tours.]

Glen Park is one of the most charming and distinctive neighborhoods in San Francisco. Steep hills facing south, narrow winding streets, and jewelbox homes characterize the neighborhood—along with a good selection of trees. Combine that with a small but wonderful shopping district, and you’ve got a nearly perfect residential neighborhood. 

This tree walk begins at Bird & Beckett Books, on Chenery Street—certainly one of the most popular independent bookstores in town. It then heads east on Chenery, north on Castro Street, northeast on Laidley Street for 2 ½ blocks, then back to Castro. It continues north on Castro for another block to Sussex Street, northwest and west on Sussex to Swiss Avenue, south on Swiss to Surrey Street, west on Surrey a few yards to Chenery, and finally east on Chenery back to Diamond Street, a short block from the start at Bird & Beckett. This walk is a little under two miles long.

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 56. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

Our thanks to Kay Estey and readers of her garden column in the Glen Park News for suggestions of trees in the neighborhood to include on this walk.

Chenery Street, Diamond to Castro, south side

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis)

1. 655 Chenery             Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Monterey to Southwest  Oregon; CA coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

2. 600 block of Chenery          Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South Asia (row of trees across the street; a common, albeit problematic, street tree throughout SF)

3. 641 Chenery            Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (planted in 1989 as tiny tree)

4. 3110 Castro             African fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East & Southern Africa (row of 3 trees on Chenery)

Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

Castro Street, Chenery to Laidley, west side

5. 3110 Castro             Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Eastern  USA to Mexico & Central America

6. 3102 Castro             Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), South China

***Cross Castro carefully to Laidley Street***

Laidley Street, Castro to Roanoke, southeast side

7. 577 Laidley             Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco, where it is increasingly common - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

8. 535 Laidley             Myoporum or ngaio in Māori (Myoporum laetum), New Zealand (these trees are dying all over San Francisco, due to an insect pest called thrips)

Myoporum or ngaio in Māori (Myoporum laetum); this tree shows the effects of thrip infestation that is affecting the species everywhere in San Francisco.

9. 533 Laidley             After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), Southwest  Australian cultivar (often less vigorous than the green-leafed species)

10. 521 Laidley           Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeast USA (state tree of Mississippi)

11. 100 Roanoke         Eureka lemon (Citrus limon), hybrid from South Asia (hanging over the back fence on Laidley)

Laidley Street, Roanoke to Mateo, southeast side

12. 447 Laidley           Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), East Australia (usually a tree, here it has been pruned to remain a shrub)

13. 100 Mateo             Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), East Australia (tree is on Laidley; it grows          in streamside locations in the wild; hence, the common name; SF’s most commonly planted street tree)

Laidley Street, northeast of Mateo, southeast side

Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana)

14. 371 Laidley           Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana) in the front garden next to the house, Lord Howe Island, Australia; also queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) from Southern Brazil, in the sidewalk cuts at this address

15. 347-353 Laidley     Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile (row of 3 trees)

***Cross Laidley carefully***

Laidley Street, northeast of Mateo, northwest side

16. 380 Laidley    Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil - a particularly nice specimen!

17. 376 Laidley           Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), East Australia (feel the spongy bark)

18. 48 Mateo               Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil (tree is on Laidley)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia); showing the effect of repetitive “pollarding”, which creates knobby branch endings

Laidley Street, Mateo to Roanoke, northwest side

19. 456 Laidley           Carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), East Australia

Roanoke Street, northwest of Laidley

20. 486 Laidley           Incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), CA native; Oregon to Baja (the tree is on Roanoke; the wood was used in construction and for making pencils)

21. Full block of Roanoke       London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (these trees, on both sides of the street, have been pollarded in the past (pollarding means the repeated removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches)

Laidley Street, Roanoke to Castro, northwest side

New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’)

22. 554 Laidley           New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’), New Zealand

23. 556 Laidley           Locust (Robinia x ambigua ‘Idahoensis’), hybrid of North American species (fragrant pink flowers in early summer)

24. 3045 Castro           Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest  Australia (2 trees are on Laidley)

Castro Street, Laidley to Sussex, west side

25. 3068 Castro           Red alder (Alnus rubra), CA to Alaska; a rare SF native! (tree is in the side yard, above the fence)

26. 3006 Castro           Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan

**Take a short side excursion to 283 Bemis Street (southeast side) for a Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Western Mediterranean Basin

Sussex Street, Castro to Diamond, southwest side

Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea) on the left; Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’) on the right

27. 1 Sussex     Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), East Australia (white flowers, very                                                            fragrant)

28. 11 Sussex   Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), East Asia (though usually grown as a shrub for its beautiful late winter/spring flowers, Japanese camellia is actually a small tree)

29. 15 Sussex   Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species

30. 41 Sussex   River wattle (Acacia cognata), Southeast Australia

Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa)

31. 53 Sussex   Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea), Central America

32. 53 Sussex   Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’), South China & Japan to Southeast Asia

33. 62 Sussex   Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), East Australia (across the street)

Sussex Street, Diamond to Van Buren, southeast side

34. 2600 Diamond      Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest  Australia (tree is on Sussex; this tree loves SF’s climate)

35. 155 Sussex             Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA native

**The steep alley to the left of the fence is Ohlone Way, named for the Native Californians who once occupied much of the San Francisco Bay Area (and one of San Francisco’s few remaining unpaved streets).

Ohlone Way, one of San Francisco’s few remaining unpaved streets

Van Buren Street, Sussex to Surrey

36. Both sides of Van Buren   Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), East Australia (the crushed leaves smell of lemon)

Sussex Street, Van Buren to Swiss Avenue, south side

Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius)

37. 167 Sussex             Fern-leaf Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. asplenifolius), CA’s Channel Islands, except Catalina; CA native (a particularly fine specimen)

**For another side excursion, head uphill on Conrad Street a short distance to Poppy Lane and turn right into this unpaved alley; about fifty yards down on the left is a giant specimen of California buckeye (Aesculus californica). This stunning tree might well be older than the homes that surround it.

38. 201 Sussex             Hybrid tea tree (Leptospermum ‘Dark Shadows’), Australia

39. 201 Sussex             Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (one of SF’s finest speciments; first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here)

40. 205 Sussex             New Zealand cabbage tree (Cordyline hybrid), New Zealand

41. 261 Sussex             Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), East Asia

42. 291 Sussex             Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia & South Pacific Islands

Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis)

**Another side excursion to 333 Sussex (southwest side) will bring you to a Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis), from Guadalupe Island, Baja California

Swiss Avenue, Sussex to Surrey, west side

43. 116 Swiss              Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Mediterranean Basin & Ireland

44. 120 Swiss              Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), Southern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; loves San Francisco!)

45. 140 Swiss              Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’), Eurasia (a selection of purple-leaf plum from a Bakersfield nursery)

46. 146 Swiss              New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (widely planted in SF, where it loves the climate)

Surrey Street, Swiss to Chenery, north side

Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis)

47. 360 Surrey Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis), East Australia (peer through the cracks in the fence to see this rare tree at the very corner of the garden; google it to read the intriguing story of the tree’s discovery in the mid-1990s)

**The home at 370 Surrey belongs to Zoeanne Nordstrom, one of the three “Gum Tree Girls” who fought hard to prevent a freeway from being built through nearby Glen Canyon Park.

48. 398 Surrey             Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), Canary Islands

Chenery Street, Surrey to Burnside, south side

49. 959 Chenery          Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile

Chenery Street, Burnside to Chilton, south side

Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia)

50. 925 Chenery          Coffee tree (Coffea arabica), Eastern Africa & Yemen (tree is in the entry court of St John’s Catholic School; coffee trees are seldom seen outdoors in SF)

51. 907 Chenery          Flowering gum (Corymbia hybrid), Southwest  Australia

52. 864 Chenery          Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (across the street)

53. 828 Chenery          Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest  Australia (a softly colored specimen across the street)

Chenery Street, Chilton to Diamond, south side

54. 775 Chenery          Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), East Australia (white flowers, very fragrant)

55. 757-763 Chenery   New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (widely planted in SF, where it loves the climate)

56. 751 Chenery          Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

End of tour at Chenery and Diamond, a half-block from the start at Bird & Beckett Books.

Tree fans may wish to visit the Glen Park Greenway, which parallels Bosworth Street on its north side, to see the new plantings of coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) and other, mostly native, trees and shrubs. The Greenway runs from Diamond to Elk Street, where it meets the bottom end of Glen Canyon Park. The Greenway is a volunteer-run project.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine .  You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!

Transmission "Social Distancing" tree tour 10-11-20

 [NOTE: we chalked a new tour in the Glen Park neighborhood yesterday (10-25-20); that tour should be up on this site very soon!]

We were treated to another gorgeous autumn day for this walk through the “Transmission” neighborhood, with a focus on Fair Oaks, one of the most desirable streets in the Mission/Noe Valley neighborhoods. A warm climate with underground streams likely, this neighborhood is filled with an array of notable trees, including a few seldom seen in the City. It’s a short walk, but a rich one tree-wise.

The walk begins on Dolores and 22nd streets and heads east on 22nd to Fair Oaks Street, then south on Fair Oaks to 24th Street, east on 24th to San Jose Avenue, north on San Jose to 22nd, and then west on 22nd to Fair Oaks, a block from the tour’s start. This walk is a little over one mile long.

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 46. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

China doll tree (Radermachera sinica) - a City Champion - biggest in San Francisco by far!

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

Dolores Street at 22nd Street, northeast corner

1. 895 Dolores             Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Eastern Mediterranean Basin (seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

22nd Street, Dolores to Fair Oaks, north side

2. 2476 - 22nd      Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia

3. 3470 - 22nd             China doll tree (Radermachera sinica), China and Taiwan (City champion; biggest of its species in SF!) We picked the location of this tour in part because of this tree - it is one of San Francisco’s most notable trees.

Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) on 22nd Street

4. 3456 - 22nd             Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), Southwest Australia (one of SF’s biggest and best)

Turn right on Fair Oaks Street.

Fair Oaks Street, 22nd to 23rd, west side

5. 3451 - 22nd              Pink Majestic Indian hawthorn (Raphiolepis x ‘Montic’), South China and Japan to Southeast Asia (tree is on Fair Oaks)

6. 108 Fair Oaks          Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), SouthAsia (a common, albeit problematic, street tree throughout SF)

7. 110 Fair Oaks          Snake-bark maple (Acer davidii), China (another City champion; a very very rare tree in San Francisco - this is the biggest of the species in SF)

8. 112 Fair Oaks          Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), West Coast and Rocky Mountains to South Mexico (needle leaves, a CA native tree!)

9. 114 Fair Oaks          Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), East Asia (tree is on 22nd)

Two female ginkgos (Ginkgo biloba) on Fair Oaks

10. 116 Fair Oaks        Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (these are both female trees; it’s very rare to find female Ginkgos as street trees - their nuts are edible, but the rotting flesh stinks)

11. 145 Fair Oaks        Senegal date palm (Phoenix reclinata), South Africa to Kenya to Senegal (across the street; rare in SF)

11b. 116 Fair Oaks      Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

12. 118 Fair Oaks        Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

13. 120 Fair Oaks        Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia

14. 120 Fair Oaks        Snow-in-summer tree or flax-leaf paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia), Eastern Australia (feel the spongy bark)

15. 124 Fair Oaks        Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), East Asia

16. 180 Fair Oaks        Red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea), hybrid of European and American species (2 trees)

Fair Oaks Street, 23rd to 24th, west side

17. 200 Fair Oaks        Little-leaf linden (Tilia cordata), Eurasia (3 trees on 23rd)

Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana)

18. 202 Fair Oaks        London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species

19. 206 Fair Oaks        Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Southern Brazil (3 trees)

20. 216 Fair Oaks        Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand (a particularly tall specimen, reaching for the light between the buildings)

21. 261 Fair Oaks        Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata), East Asia (across the street; a common replacement for American elms, which were decimated by Dutch elm disease in the eastern USA)

22. 260 Fair Oaks        Irish yew (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’), Eurasia and North Africa

23. 264 Fair Oaks        Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

24. 272 Fair Oaks        Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’), Eurasia (a selection of purple-leaf plum that originated in a Bakersfield nursery)

25. 286 Fair Oaks        “Wishful” water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina “Esperanza”), Eastern Australia (add a wish of your own)

Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius)

Turn left on 24th Street.

24th Street, Fair Oaks to Guerrero, north side

26. 3638 - 24th             Bronze loquat (Raphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), Southern China and Vietnam

27. 3632 - 24th            Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species, first introduced in San Francisco - the interesting San Francisco story can be found here

28. 3618 - 24th             Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil

**Short jog left on Guerrero to see #29, then return to 24th Street.

Guerrero Street, just north of 24th, west side

29. 1100-1102 Guerrero          California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera), Southern California; also Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Mexico; (the two palms are across the street).  The California fan palm, with the thicker trunk, is very rare in San Francisco, and it’s interesting to see it next to its thinner-trunked relative at this address.

24th Street, Guerrero to San Jose, north side

30. 3599 - 24th             Nichol’s willow-leaf peppermint (Eucalyptus nicholii), Southeast Australia (across the street, alongside Fiore Cafe)

31. 3528 - 24th             Gold medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla), Southern Brazil

32. 3502 - 24th             Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (source of pine nuts/pignoli)

San Jose Avenue, 24th to Elizabeth, west side

33. 120 San Jose          Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia (white flowers, very fragrant)

33-1/2. 102 San Jose Gingko (Gingkgo biloba), China - two more female ginkgos! These trees were full of fruit that will soon be “odoriferous” on the street. This was the second address on this tour with two female ginkgos - a big surprise to the three of us.

34. 1 Elizabeth            New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (widely planted in SF, where it loves our cool, coastal climate)

35. 123 San Jose          Two big-leaf maple trees (Acer macrophyllum), West Coast; SF native. It’s very rare to see this California native as a street tree!

San Jose Avenue at 23rd, southwest corner

35. 4 Elizabeth            Lemon (Citrus x limon) South Asia (tree is at corner of 23rd and San Jose)

36. 3503 - 23rd            Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), Western Australia

37. 3503 - 23rd            Knife-leaf acacia (Acacia cultriformis), Eastern Australia

38. 3503 - 23rd            Pasopaya palm (Parajubaea torallyi), Bolivian Andes (5 trees; very rare tree on San Francisco’s streets)

39. 3503 - 23rd            Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’); also a Blue Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis var. argentea), Algeria  and Morocco

Turn left on San Jose Avenue.

San Jose Avenue, 23rd to 22nd, west side

40. 50 San Jose            Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeast USA

***Please cross 22nd Street carefully***

22nd Street, San Jose to Guerrero, north side

Paradox walnut (Juglans x paradoxa)

41. 3326 - 22nd            Paradox walnut (Juglans x paradoxa), hybrid of CA native and European species)

42. 3334 - 22nd            Prickly melaleuca (Melaleuca styphelioides), Eastern Australia

43. 3342 - 22nd            Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (one of SF’s best specimens)

** If you have time, take a side excursion to 1054-1058 Guerrero to pay homage to some interesting trees at Flora Grubb’s previous residence, before continuing on 22nd.**

1054 Guerrero            Willow wattle (Acacia iteaphylla), South Australia; Puka (Meryta sinclairii), New Zealand;  Forest Pansy redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’), Eastern USA

1058 Guerrero            Tree aloe (Aloidendron barberae, formerly Aloe bainesii), South and East Africa (two magnificent specimens)

22nd Street, Guerrero to Fair Oaks, north side

44. 3412 - 22nd            Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), Eastern Australia (feel the spongy bark)

45. 3446 - 22nd            River wattle (Acacia cognata), Southeast Australia

46. 3446 - 22nd            Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), East and Southeast Australia

This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco (if you like this tour, there are 12 more neighborhood tree tours in Mike’s book), Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine and editor of Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books! You can follow Mike (@sftreeguy) and Jason (@loulufan) on Instagram.