Juniperus scopulorum 'Tolleson's Weeping' - Tolleson's Weeping Juniper

This weeping Juniper is a pretty popular form in other areas of the county, but I see very few here. I am always a fan of weeping conifers and Junipers get a bad rap. Seeing a mature specimen like this one in Santa Cruz should change peoples minds.

Tollesons blue weeping juniper grows 20' by 15' with an upright leader and weeping lateral branches. Very nice look for those of us that like weepers. (Might be a poor man's Cupressus cashmeriana and might be more reliably grown as junipers are very drought tolerate.)

Foliage is scale-like, bluish color covering the stems. Distinct white bands of stomates seen where the leaves overlap. Stems are rounded like Cupressus, and are very hard to tell apart, sometimes the smell is different with junipers.

Here is a lateral branch with weeping secondary branches.

Trunks are pretty and add some texture to the softness of the foliage. Bark is somewhat shaggy, with small plates that peel up on the edges.

As I recall these are male trees, and will not have fruit.

Misidentification:
if you see it you will not misidentify it, but if you only get a small branch, good luck. Not many other trees have such a distinct weeping habit. Cupressus cashmeriana has flattened sprays of foliage, junipers have 3 dimensional branching.


Location:
There are several around but they don't look anything as nice as this one:

Santa Cruz
230 Chilverton Ave

Pittosporum eugeniodes - Lemonwood (Tarata)

You are more likely to see the lemonwood (Tarata) growing as a hedge than as a tree. And more than likely if you find a tree its because someone failed to prune it after it got over their head. Its not that is a bad tree, its just a great hedge, that you don't want to forget to prune. If allowed to grow it might hit 30-35' with a 15' spread, upright fairly tight habit but spreads out when mature.

Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, oblong to elliptical, 4" x 1" wide, light green above, lighter below, great undulated margins, pale yellow midrib, smell like lemons when crushed.

Terminal leaf bud is long, pointed and the bud scales have a dark edge making the bud look striped. You can see it on the left. The leaves show a their undulation.

Flowers in clusters in spring, pale yellow, and small.

Fruit is a capsule, tan ripening to black opening to reveal black sticky seeds.

Bark is smooth, gray.

Misidentification, not likely, undulated light green leaves with a contrasting mid vein and  most likely pretending to be a hedge.


Location:
Soquel:
S. Main St

Capitola
507 Escalona

Podocarpus macrophyllus - Bigleaf Podocarpus

Evergreen conifer with a narrow-conical habit quite large in its native habitat but not likely to be more than 20'. Its hard to find one that is not trimmed into a hedge or screen. Grows pretty quick. Rather upright and course textured, not at all like the other commonly grown species.

Another typical espalier planting.

Hard to say what might have happened to this one, but considering it was planted in a 1' bed along a sidewalk I am surprised its still there.

Leaves evergreen, alternate, simple, narrowly lanceolate or broadly linear, dark green, 3-5" long, distinct midrib, leaves clustered and appearing whorled at the tips of the stems. Stiff looking usually vertical on the stems.

Plants are dioecious, male cones are yellow, elongated sort of like a cedar, females fleshy  elliptical greenish blue cone, 1.5" long and black when mature.  These black things are last years males.

Stems pale green or lightly brown, very strongly grooved. 

Older bark smooth, gray brown flaking in scales and eventually furrowed.

Misidentification: Other Podocarpus, (Afrocarpus has smaller thinner leaves.)

Location:

Aptos:

140 Baltusrol Dr.

Soquel

Hospital Dr. between the hospital and the large building on the right.