Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington Thorn

The Washington Thorn is a great small tree. I like the leaves, the fall color and the fruit, and especially the thorns. The leaves are nice, flowers okay. Its just well behaved, and does what you wanted it to do. This is one of many hawthorns (Crataegus) that are present but its the best in my opinion.

The trees are deciduous, rounded to broadly oval tree to 25' with about the same spread. Often single stemmed but can frequently see multi-stemmed trees with a moderate growth rate. Fairly dense canopy with nice flowers, fruit and fall color. The best plantings I have seen are on Portola Drive in the median leaving Capitola and entering Live Oak. 

Nice row of trees in the fall.

The deciduous leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, 3-5 lobed with the center lobe much larger than the others. Sometimes it does not really look lobed, like the one at the bottom of this picture, while the one on the top is lobes, but maybe not like you think of lobes. Margins are serrated. Leaf color is dark green. Leaves are shinny.

This one is lobed, and look at the thorns.

Fruit are small (1/4") glossy red pomes in big clusters of a dozen or so. They are very persistent through winter. Then when ripe the birds will strip the tree in a matter of minutes.

Flowers are small, off white in clusters in June. Sort of a funky smell.

Stems are greenish brown, with prominant thorns. I love trees with thorns. These are great, can be 2-3" long and very sharp. You find the best thorns on vigorous growing stems.

Misidentification: Not sure, maybe another hawthorn. Last hawthorn to bloom, nice thorns though others have nice ones also.

Locations: Pretty common actually, you just might not notice them.

On Captiola Rd in the median leaving Capitola and entering Live Oak. Great planting, and why we need to see more of them. They run all the way to where Capitola Rd intersects with Soquel Ave.

Soquel: On Center St across from the White Church.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum - Katsura Tree

The katsura tree is a really nice tree although I am not convinced it will grow well here. They tend to lose foliage when drought stressed. Anyway, they are a medium to large tree (40-60') with a pyramidal habit in youth but becoming more wide spreading or oval shape with age. Around here they are likely to be in the 30' range. 

On younger trees the lateral branches tend to be held horizontal to the main stem and the branching on that stem tends to be flat creating a very nicely layered habit.

Also, the foliage has an interesting smell of cotton candy in the fall.

This is an awesome example located at Dumbarton Oaks in Maryland. 

 Here is a an alle at a community college in Oregon.

Leaves are sub-opposite  (well almost, most of the time, see below), almost round with lightly crenated margins. They are bluish green on the upper surface and lighter below. Petioles are often red. Leaves emerge with a slight cast of purple in the spring. They are also considered to be dimorphic, that is they have two forms on the same tree. If you look at the images below comparing Cercis and Cercidiphyllum you will see both types. On young elongating stems they look more ovate to elliptical while on the spurs they the look more rounded.

The leaf arrangement is a fun one. Usually called sub-opposite which is sort of less than opposite. Meaning that they are not exactly opposite but not uniformly alternating up the stems. In this image you can see the leaves are sub-opposite.  These three images are all from one plant.

Then this one, especially the center stem is very alternate, 

 Then this one, which I had never seen before today, they are whorled, 3 per node.

Leaves are sort similar to red bud. (Cercidiphyllum means Cercis like). But not really. The Cercis is on the top, alternate arrangement, entire margins and different vein pattern. Elliptical to ovate leaf form in the upper image and one from a spur in the second one.

Again, Cercis on the top.

Plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants). Not very showy.

Small pods produced on female plants.

Slender twigs with very distinct spurs where a single leaf is produced each year. The significance of this is that old twigs appear to have a pair leaves on them when they should not. This has been difficult for me to photograph. Older stems do not produce new leaves every year but if you look at the tree, the primary and secondary scaffold branches have leaves on them, two at each node. Makes for a very full canopy.

Bark is great.

Fall color is fantastic. This was in our yard in Spokane.

Several cultivars are available. 'Pendulum' is a common weeping variety. The RHS considers these to be a botanical forma, pendulum. Regardless, I have seen one of these in Seascape area. Address is below.

'Red Fox' is a new one that I have in a pot. The leaves are very purple in the spring, and staying pretty good most of the summer. You are not likely to see this unless you are at my house.

Misidentification: Cercis is about it, and I hope to have detailed the differences above. Leaf arrangement and shape as well as the margins of the leaves.

Locations:
Aptos : There is a young weeper in seacliff area, 421 Hillcrest Dr. (Gone)

Soquel: 3003 Fairway Dr has a nice specimen in front. Used to be nice until they cut to leader out. 

Santa Cruz: Locust St. Just outside the Staff entrance to the Library, about halfway down the street. ALL Dead and removed. There were 10 of them.