Cupressus arizonica - Arizona Cypressus

The Arizona cypress is/was a commonly planted tree that seems to have lost favor but should be reconsidered due to its drought tolerance. They make good screens, but get a little big for a narrow yard after years. Growing to a height of 30-40' with a pyramidal to conical shaped crown generally dense and retaining its branches to the ground. Usually narrow when young, widening with age. 

This species has several botanical varieties or is considered to be highly variable species depending on your interest in the plant. If its not a favorite, just clump them together into one large variable species, or if you really love them split them into the four botanical varieties or even into different species. Taxonomy at its best. Hesperocyparis (Cupressus) arizonica var. glabra or Hesperocyparis (Cupressus) glabra. (All new world cypress have been moved to this new genus.)

The most widely planted variety is the bluish colored ones.  There is a cultivar names 'Blue Ice' that is popular, though I do not see many planted and I see very few young plants around. 

Leaves are opposite, decussate, very small (1.5- 2 mm), scale-like, bluish green in color due to a waxy coating that is variable in quantity, and distinct white spots which are bits of resin. Stems appear somewhat square.

Foliage clustered near the ends of the branches.

Rounded or slightly elongated cone, 3/4 - 1" diameter, peltate scales 6-8 pairs, with a slightly elongated horn on the back of the scales. Green when young, silver brown maturing in two years.

Bark is attractive but variable. Peeling flakes of gray giving way to red. 

Here is an older picture of the cultivar 'Blue Ice' in Spokane.

While I have not seen any in Santa Cruz, C. 'Raywood's Weeping', is one of may favorites.

Misidentification:
other Cupressus, or even a juniper for that matter. Look for the bluish foliage with resin drops, larger cone (eliminates junipers) and flaky bark.

Location:
Aptos
7300 Mesa Dr  2 large specimens.

Capitola
in the back yard of a house on Escalona, that you can see poking over the fence from Park Ave. Maybe eventually we will see them pretty well.

Ginkgo biloba - Ginkgo Tree

Ginkgo biloba is a really beautiful and interesting tree with a long history. Often called a living fossil because it was growing before the dinosaurs. It is the only living relative from that period. Ginkgo's are not flowering plants but a gymnosperm, more closely related to pine trees than oaks. There is a Ginkgo Petrified Forest just out side of Vantage Washington. Trees are reported to live for 3500 years or so.

Ginkgos form large trees, growing to 100' but in cultivation and as a street tree may reach 50'. Cultivated varieties have pretty decent shapes, but the species can have main lateral branches going almost any direction, so the form is not very clear or formal, though they are upright for the most part. There were two trees on the WSU campus that were propagated from weak lateral branches and developed into a weak side lateral branch habit referred to a plagiotropism.

If you google Ginkgo biloba, you will see pages and pages of ginkgo extract used for medicinal purposes.

Two large trees at Wisley Garden.

Large tree in Chico CA. (Ouch, most likely destroyed in the fire that burned down the mansion.)

Leaves are deciduous, simple, with a distinct shape, alternate on elongating stems, appearing whorled on spurs. The leaf has two lobes, most of the time but can be seen looking somewhat like a whale's tail. Generally 2-4" long, with a dissection in the middle of the tip being deep or virtually non existent. Looking like a maidenhair fern leaf. I used to think the name biloba was because of the leaf, but its not, see below. I suspect that more people know a ginkgo leaf than any other leaf. I see all sorts of ginkgo leaf art.

More deeply lobed leaf.

Even more deeply lobed leaf of the cultivar 'Saratoga'.

The venation is key, its dichotomous, and the only plant I have heard of with such a pattern. It is like a bracket in a sporting event, maybe you have seen tennis tournament brackets, or the NCAA basketball brackets but not squared off, like a Y in a road. Essentially the veins branch into two equal veins, these branch the same and it goes on and on, so the leaf starts off thin, and gets wider like a fan.

Wonderful fall color, bright yellow, and in cold climates they seem to all fall at the same time.

Plants are dioecious, male and female and you want the males. Males produce catkin looking stroboli while the females produce a short reproductive structure with 2 lobes (hence the name, biloba).

Males in a "catkin like" structure.

Female trees develop a fleshy cone like structure. After they ripen and fall they produce butyric acid, which smell like someone else's vomit. Unfortunately they are not reproductive for 25 or so years, so its too late to pull it out (buy named cultivars). Fleshy, edible, used for centuries as a medicinal crop.

Downtown Santa Cruz sidewalk.

Bark is pretty, deeply fissured looks sort of like cork with age.

Misidentification: Not a chance.

Locations:
Aptos
1842 Calypso Dr.

Corralitos

1649 Hames Rd. Wonderful specimen (seen above in it's fall foliage.)

Capitola
124 Central Ave - Very large specimen.

Santa Cruz
Clock tower, cultivar Saratoga, with great fall color, nice pyramidal habit and a male.

500 Block of Washington. Quite a few very old specimens, seed grown for sure as their are some females in the mix.

Prunus subhirtilla - Higan Cherry

The Higan Cherry is a very popular smaller flowering cherry that brightens up the spring landscape beautifully. Its interesting to note that they bloom later in the sequence of spring flowering trees here in SC than in colder climates. 

Several variations are found including those with single or double flowers, light pink to dark pink and upright spreading to weeping habits. Growing 20' if upright, and wider than tall.

Here is a dark pink weeping variety. 

 And a light pink weeping variety.

Leaves are alternate, simple, 3" long, deciduous, narrowly ovate - lanceolate to elliptical in shape, with coarsely 2X serrated margins. Like most cherries, they have one or more gland at the base of the leaf blade. This image also shows leaf-like stipules.

Flowers are light to dark pink, single or double, about 1/2" wide and not fragrant. They are held in umbels of 2-5 flowers. Individual flower stalks are pubescent. (Flowers of the Japanese cherries are held in racemes not umbels.)

Small little cherry, ripens dark.

Younger stems light tan with reddish buds. Lots of lenticles.

Potentially great fall color. Oranges and yellows. This is the cultivar 'Autumnalis'.

The bark of cherries can be pretty confusing and variable. Generally speaking they have horizontal bands of lenticles but since most of the trees are grafted you can find trees with P. serrula bark (see below) or other unknown species. Don't be misled, you can actually find this bark on many trees, Kwanzan, and Weeping cherries.

Misidentification:
Other cherries. Flowers of the Japanese cherries are held in racemes not umbels. Leaves tend to be narrower and usually smaller than the Japanese cherries.

Location:

Aptos
411 Clubhouse Dr. Single Pink upright
518 Clubhouse Dr. Double Pink Weeping
433 Los Altos Dr. Single Pink Weeping

Paulownia tomentosa - Princess tree

The Princess tree is a very fast growing large tree with beautiful flowers. Growing  50+ feet, it forms a dense rounded to oval canopy. Pretty spectacular sight in full bloom. Known to be pretty invasive, where one is planted other  show up in neighbors yards.   Would not want to have to clean up the leaves in the fall. My students are always impressed with the specimen on 36th. This one is on Clubhouse Dr.

Leaves are deciduous, opposite, simple, large 6-12" long x 4-8" wide, cordate shaped either entire or with 3-5 lobes. Leaves are densely hairy, almost velvety texture. 

Variously lobed, most of the time 3-5 but this one caught my eye but you can see the leaf behind it with pointed lobes.

Flowers are borne prior to the leaves in large upright 12" panicles. Individual flowers are purple, trumpet-shaped, 2" long and wide with a lower lip from fused petals. The flowers have some yellow in the throat. 

Flower buds are copper colored.

Fruit is an oval-shaped brown capsule with a point on the end.

Stems green, thick, and somewhat hairy.  Bark is mostly gray, with some dark diamond shaped areas.

Misidentification:
Huge leaves, large purple flowers, really fast growth rate.

Location:
Aptos
970 Clubhouse Drive

Santa Cruz
733 36th Ave (Pleasure Point)

Celtis sinensis - Chinese Hackberry

The Chinese hackberry is a utility tree commonly used as a city street tree. A deciduous tree growing to 30-40' with a broad spreading habit, and rather quick growing. Has a reputation as being a tough tree, suitable for urban areas, and for being a weed tree. Guess a tree that can grow anywhere will grow anywhere.

Leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple, ovate to elliptical, 3-4" long, with serrated margins, bright green in summer, somewhat undulated. Leaf base is unequal. Poor fall color.

Stems are green turning brown.

Flowers are nondescript but quite interesting.

Fruit is a small 1/2" diameter fleshy drupe, orangish color.

Bark is smooth.

Misidentification: Can't say for sure, have never taught the plant so I have no feedback from students. The common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) has broadly ovate leaves.

Location:
Aptos
Soquel Drive and Fairway Intersection in the south median area - 3 trees

Santa Cruz
7th and Soquel are the best ones. On 7th.
800 block of 7th Ave

Salix babylonica - Weeping Willow

The Weeping willow grows to 30-40' by about the same width forming a billowing oval shape with weeping small branches. Classic weeping tree next to a body of water, either a stream or lake. Not sure if there could be a more classic willow than that at Claude Monet's garden.

The beauty of the weeping willows is the pendulous lateral branching.

Leaves deciduous, simple, narrowly lanceolate, serrated, 3 to 6" long, yellow green above, lighter below.

 Stems are red on new wood, yellowish brown on mature wood.

Trunks.

Flowers are dioecious, borne in catkins.

Fruit in clusters as well. Seeds like cotton.

Goin to plant a weeping willow
On the banks green edge it will grow grow grow
Sing a lullaby beside the water
Lovers come and go - the river roll roll roll (Robert Hunter)

Aptos
415 Dorsey RDM in back yard
313 Cliff Dr. Corner of Cliff and Florence is a nice one.

Capitola
1865 42nd Ave

Santa Cruz
Westlake Park several specimens along Majors Street side.
38th -39 pleasure point, back yard