Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Green Ash

The green ash is one of the most commonly planted trees in the country because they're very fast growing trees and they provide shade in only a few years. We don't see as many here as in colder climates. As I said, they are fast growing, I have seen 3-5' of growth on some trees when planted as a bare root specimen. They will grow at least 2' a year when young and will eventually reach 70' with a broad asymmetrically rounded canopy. They are deciduous and will provide a weak yellow color that will last for a short period of time unless the weather is cold and they will fall overnight, sometimes still green. Most of the plants sold are male cultivars because females produce millions of fruit that will likely germinate.

Leaves are deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 6-9" long, with 7 elliptical to broadly lanceolate leaflets. Leaflets are about 1-2" long, having various amounts of serrations on the margins, may or may not have hair on the lower surface, but they usually do in the spring.

Twigs can be stout or thin on weak lower branches. Usually squared at the nodes. Buds are covered with hairs, copper colored, with the terminal being larger than the others. Usually three buds in the terminal location. Leaf scars are one key to correct identification. The bud sits on top of the semicircular scar.

Plants are dioecious, male and female. Developing early spring along with the foliage, usually slightly earlier. Many selections are males.

Females.

 Males.

Fruit is a narrow, straight samara, borne in large clusters, green turning brown and falling   about the same time as the leaves.

Bark is smooth, gray but eventually darker, furrowed, scaly or ridged.

Misidentification:
Ash trees can be tough to sort out. The bud and leaf scar are one important characteristic. Leaflet shapes, margins, bud color are other things to look at.

Location:
Aptos 125 Heather Terrace - Aegis Living

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Ellwoodii'

The genus Chamaecyparis is a fun group of conifers. They have a high propensity to develop mutations and as a result there are hundreds of cultivars of every shape and color. This is one of several forming the columnar habit. There are even dwarf selections of this cultivar. The Ellwood Cypress trees are fairly common in Santa Cruz, used mostly as screen or for vertical accent.  They grow to a bit over 10' tall and about 3' wide with a wonderful bluish green color.

The evergreen foliage is bluish when new, slightly more green as it ages. Chamaecyparis have scale-like leaves, however this has awl-shaped leaves with white wax on all surfaces giving it a bluish cast and an overall more prickly feel.

They do not "bloom" as they are a juvenile form so they do not set cones either.

So thats it, nice bluish-green screen with no mess.


Misidentification:
Chamaecyparis 'Boulevard' has the same foliage look, though the leaves are longer than 'Ellwoodii' and the trees are very different looking.

Location:
Aptos
323 Martin Dr.

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa' - Contorted Black Locust

I love twisted or contorted plants, and this one is pretty twisted. Apparently there are two versions of this plant, 'Tortuosa' and 'Lace Lady'. 'Tortuosa' has the potential of reaching 40' and are likely the ones seen on Jordan, while 'Lace Lady' are said to reach 15'. Regardless, we have a dwarf twisted form of the black locust, depending on the cultivar the plant may be 15'-40' tall. I may like it best in the winter without the twisted leaves.

Same plant in the winter.

Leaves are smaller then normal, twisted, but look like a black locust leaf with inch worms. This one is mine, in a pot and most likely 'Lace Lady'.

Flower clusters are smaller, shorter perhaps, but look like the species.

Misidentification:
Hard to guess what you might think this is. Maybe you are looking at a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick in winter?

Location:
Capitola
729 Monterey Blvd.
230 Junipero Ct.

Santa Cruz
127 Jordan on the Escalona Drive side of the house with 3 very large specimens and I think one on the Jordan side.

Radermachera sinica - China Doll

I recall seeing these trees when I first started riding the neighborhoods and thinking, yikes, I know that plant, its a house plant. Not sure anyone really plants one from a nursery, just like some of the Norfolk Island Pines, they just got too big for a pot and the room they were in. Here's one in front of an apartment that someone must have planted years ago, my guess is the renter needed to move and had no way of taking it with them. Seems very happy to be in the ground, and was not part of the original design.

China doll can reach 100' in their native habitat, but likely topping out at about 30' around here. Definitely a tropical and exotic looking tree. Upright to spreading habit with multiple primary leaders. Blooms late summer.

Leaves are evergreen, opposite, bipinnately compound, 20-30" long, with glossy dark green 2" long narrowly ovate leaflets with an accuminate tip and a long petiole.

Flowers are fragrant, large 3", white trumpet shaped flowers with a yellow throat, looking like white hankies extending above the foliage. They are related to Catalpa.

Fruit is a long narrow capsule that curves. Splits when mature, revealing a thin membrane separating the two halves of the fruit.

Young stems are thick, brown with large white lenticels and big leaf scars.

Older stems keep the scars.

Misidentification:
Leaves might look like Koelreuteria bipinnata?

Location:
Aptos
1800-1827 Sumner Ave

Santa Cruz
2266 Chanticleer -- Really nice specimens, and always blooms.
1480 Creekview Ln.

Pittosporum tenuifolia - Kohuhu

Seems most of the pittosporums are better suited to be hedges, and this one is no different. They are trees however, often seen growing out of an unpruned hedge. Small to medium evergreen tree, upright habit often narrowly, growing quickly to 20-25'. There are more dwarf variegated varieties of this species than all the other pittosporums together. 

Here they are as a hedge.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, alternate, oblong to elliptical, glossy, slightly undulated, clustered at the tips of the branches.

Flowers are dark red to purple black colored, in tight clusters of 10-15, very attractive if you stop to look, but most people will not. Seems the plants are males, females or hermaphrodites. Never knew that. 

Fruit is a small capsule with dark seeds covered with a sticky coating.

Stems are almost black (it is sometimes called P. nigricans). Buds small and clustered at the tips, laterals very small.

Identification:
Not hard to get to the species, but don't ask me to identify all the dwarfs.

Here is a link to an article on the cultivars growing in the UK.

Location:
Santa Cruz
220 Oceanview Ave - picture of the hedge.

Abies grandis - Grand Fir

The Grand fir is another uncommon sight in our warmer climate but, to a conifer lover, a welcome one. Growing up to 250' in its native range, we will likely to see them 50-60' tall by about 15-20' wide. They form a beautiful conical shape. Generally quite dense when young eventually a bit more open. You can see the one on the left is much fuller than the one on the right. Looks like a redwood if you look quickly at the foliage. This planting has two trees, right next to a redwood, and I suspect there was some confusion at planting time or when they were pulled from a nursery. Supposed to be three redwoods?

Leaves are evergreen, spirally arranged, linear, needle-like, 3/4 - 2" long, narrow, bright green upper surface, lower surface with 2 distinct white bands of stomates. The leaves on reproductive branches are very different than lower down on the tree. Those tend to form a very strong "V" shape. This feature is common to most firs and makes this characteristic useless for identification. The lower leaves form a single flat plane with the leaves spreading out sideways. 

The leaves on the top appear to be different lengths, alternating long and short.

Bands of stomates in 2 rows on the lower portion of the leaf.

Stems are yellowish-green initially, persistently smooth, with round depressions where leaves were once attached.

Female cones are found only at the top of trees. Growing 2-4" long, yellowish green or purple green when young turning brown at maturity and like all fir trees, the cones disintegrate on the tree, shedding the seeds, scales and bracts leaving behind only the thin central stalk. Bracts shorter than scales so you don't see them until they hit the ground. In this image you can see the scale on the left has its attached bract on its "back" while the one to the right is not showing a bract.

Male cones are yellow and found on the lower branches.

Bark on trees initially is smooth, gray or silver with horizontal resin blisters, becoming furrowed or flaked with age.

Misidentification:
First, determine that it's a fir and not a spruce. Once you a certain it is a fir, you have to look at how leaves are arranged on the stems and avoid the reproductive ones. Look for the presence or absence of stomatal bands on the upper surfaces, they are always on the lower surface, not the upper for this species. Look up for cones and down for cone scales and bracts.

Not at all easily. I used my trusted Pacific Coast Trees by McMinn and Maino.
Foliage is found in one plane, often called 2 ranked but I like the plane concept, or in 1 dimension. To use a key on these you have to find the resin glands with are inside the leaf, either along the margins or near the main vein. These are shallow and along the margin. To see the resin glands you need a 10X hand lens. Cut the leaf in half crosswise and then carefully squeeze the leaf with your nail while looking for where some resin comes out.

Location:

281 Pebble Beach Drive

Prunus campanulata - Taiwan Cherry Tree

The Bell-Flowered or Taiwan Cherry tree is a beautiful site in late winter to early spring. I recall seeing this one out of the corner of my eye and quickly circling around on my bike to see what the heck was so red in late winter. They are small deciduous flowering trees with beautiful deep red colored flowers growing to about 15' tall and slightly narrower with spreading branches. Not commonly seen. Blooms really really early, with very dark red flowers.

Same plant in the fall (have not seen any others), no fall color showing up by November though they should have some red color.

Leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple, 2-4" long, narrowly ovate to oval-lanceolate shaped, finely serrated margins, with a gland at the base of the leaf blade and dark green in summer. Deeply set veins.

Buds are clustered at the tips, sharp pointed, reddish in color.

Stems are smooth with lots of horizontal lenticles. This plant was grafted so the main trunk is something else.

Emerging just prior to or with the leaves, the 3/4" diameter flowers are in clusters of 2-6. You can see some of last years leaves and the new ones just emerging.

Produces small red fruit, 1/2" long. I have not seen them.

The popular 'Okame' Cherry has P. campanulata as one of the parents.

Misidentification:

Foliage looks like any Japanese cherry, but smaller. I am basing my identification on the flower color, leaf shape and the tree was in full bloom in February.

Location:

Aptos:

411 Townsend

Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta' - Italian Cypress

The Italian Cypress is a narrow, upright, tight growing tree that's been planted in gardens for hundreds of years.  This is a popular cultivar 'Stricta', one of several upright very narrow forms available in the trade. Trees are used to direct the eye in formal landscapes. Trees grow 20-40' tall x 3' wide, narrowing to a point at the top. I have seen them used as hedges, but its a lot of trees and they don't spread very widely, I think I would choose the species for that use. Gilman and Watson called them green telephone poles. I have seen them called Pencil Pines, but I don't think that's a popular common name around here.

Foliage is scale-like, medium green, very small, in pairs, lasting 3 or so years before falling to reveal the brown stem.  The branch sprays are rounded and held upright.

Reproductive structures are stroboli. Male are small, you can see them in the above picture at the tips of some of the branches. Females are also small, as seen below.

Cones are woody, dry, oblong, about an inch, generally not longer, with peltate scales, soccer ball like. Saw a website that called the cones "Ugly Nuts".

The taxonomy on this plant confuses me. Is there really a 'Stricta' cultivar? I have seen 'Glauca' used, and we have a 'Swains Golden' in the backyard of a neighbor but I am not sure what to make of the classic Italian cypress. Cal Poly suggests this is a naturally occurring botanical variety and should be called Cupressus sempervirens var. stricta. 

The specific epithet sempervirens means evergreen. All Cupressus are evergreen. Seems odd.

Misidentifiaction: If you are looking at the plant, not likely to be missed, but if you only have a twig, bummer. Determine it is a Cupressus, most have more or less rounded stems and most have the branchlets radiating out in all directions rather than flattened sprays. Differs from the species by being much more narrow.

Location:
Corralittos
114 Eureka Canyon Rd, as seen in the top picture.