Zelkova serrata - Japanese Zelkova

The Japanese Zelkova is a medium to large sized deciduous tree growing to 50 plus feet, with a short trunk and an upright vase shape eventually spreading with age. Younger trees show a very upright V habit. Resistant to Dutch Elm disease and is recommended as a replacement for many elms.

Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 1.5 to 2.5" long, with large very uniform serrations. Medium to dark green, sort of dull and much lighter below. Leaf tip is long and pointed.

Buds are easy to spot. They are divergent (spreading) on the reddish brown thin zig-zag stems. They are sharply pointed with imbricate scales.

Fruit are wingless drupes (aren't they all, if they had a wing I think they would be a samara), green turning brown when mature.

Spectacular bark. Like the Chinese Elm, gray with an orange brown inner bark. When young they have lots of lenticels.

Fall color is pretty good, or fair, depending on the tree. Can be red to yellow and in-between.

 Two trees on 7th side by side.

Older specimen in Spokane, showing the strong V shaped branching of the primary lateral branches.

They make spectacular bonsai.

Misidentification:
Maybe the Ulmus parviflora, due to the bark and the leaves, but look at the leaves carefully, the serrations are much different.

Location:
Capitola
Across from New Brighten School on Monterey Blvd.
Also just up the street are a few large ones, 825 Monterey Blvd

Santa Cruz
7th Ave young ones, around the 1000 block
King St in the grounds of Mission Bell School - One of the best

Quercus suber - Cork Oak

The Cork Oak has to the one of my oldest memories of trees from when I was a kid. My favorite book was Ferdinand the Bull. As some of you might remember he would sit in the shade of a cork tree. What a mellow bull. Still remember the corks hanging from the branches.

We are blessed with several beautiful specimens of this oak in town. The Cork oak is native to the southern Mediterranean region and grows well here. A large evergreen tree growing 30-60' tall and almost as wide forming a wide dome shaped canopy. Branches may settle almost to the ground if left in place. This specimen is located at 7th and Soquel Ave.

The leaves are alternate, simple, elliptical to oval shaped, 1-3" long, about half as wide, with either entire or lightly spinose margins that may also be wavy or undulated. Faster growing leaves are generally more spinose than slower growing leaves. Leaves generally dark bluish green, looking like they have a wax coating on the upper surface and usually lightly hairy on the lower. Leaves last 3 years.

Flowers are small and insignificant, light yellow, arranged in catkins, typical of an oak. Females are borne in the axils of leaves and will produce the typical acorn.

Fruit is an acorn, 1 - 1-1/4" long, rounded at the tip and about half covered with a cap.

Bark, wow, what can anyone say. Used for ever as corks for wine and is now used as flooring. Harvest off of trees every 9 or so years. (It does not seem to hurt the tree, may embarrass it a little, sort of like shaving a dog.) These two images are from San Lorenzo Park.

One of my favorite specimens located at Painshill Park in England. Love the supports holding up the branches. This garden was planted in the early 1700's. The tree was more likely planted between 1730 and 1770 by the garden owner and designer Charles Hamilton.

Bonsai specimen at the SF Flower show.

Misidentification: Other similar oaks if all you have to look at are the leaves. Q. agrifolia maybe, look at the lower surface of the leaf.

Q. ilex as well, but the leaves are glossier perhaps, more green and does not have the great bark.

Locations:

Live Oak:

7th and Soquel Ave.

Several on the 18th hole at De Laveaga Golf Course

Santa Cruz:

San Lorenzo Park SC.

Castro Adobe near Larkin Valley was suggested by a reader, thanks!!!