Pittosporum crassifolium - Karo

The Karo tree is not commonly planted any longer, but I do like the silver/gray foliage in a landscape. May be mistaken for a large shrub but grows to about 15' with a spreading habit, usually multi-stemmed (okay a large multi-stemmed shrub). Reportedly a weed in California though planted and see so little here I doubt it will be an issue.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, alternate, oblanceolate to obovate, 2-3" long, leathery, a bit on the thicker side compared to other pittosporums, white hairs on the lower surface margins entire but revolute, may be gray-green or green. The name comes from the resemblance to a Crassula.

These leaves are more green than gray.

Beautiful flowers in the spring, 1/2"diameter, dark red to purple, in clusters of 6-10, each on a long peduncle.

The fruit are capsules, about the size of a nickel, covered with the same white hairs as the stems and leaves, opening to show an orange inner layer with black seeds.

Stems are also covered with the white hairs. Buds clustered at the tips.

Misidentification: Not sure, foliage is a key

Locations:
Santa Cruz
322 Maple St on the Washington St side of the house.

Eucalyptus cinerea - Argyle Apple

The Argyle Apple (?) really, what the heck does that mean, I know funny golf socks but, whats the apple? Okay, the evergreen tree grows very fast to 25-50' with a variable habit, upright oval but generally irregular with a full canopy. This one has been pruned heavily. Nice color foliage, nice bark. More common and more obvious than E. purverulenta. Also known as Silver Dollar Tree (but so is E. polyanthemum)

Juvenile leaves opposite, clasping the stem without a petiole, round to ovate, covered with wax. Intermediate taking on a narrowly ovate to lanceolate shape but still opposite.

Adult leaves alternate, simple, broadly lanceolate, 3-4" long, less than 1" wide, blue gray due to the waxy covering (glaucous).

Oddly enough, they bloom on juvenile and adult stems. Flowers in clusters of 3's, with a glaucous bloom, caps with a short point, showy bits are yellow stamens.

Fruit is a capsule, about 3/8" diameter, with a raised ring around the middle.

Bark is rough, fibrous, persistent, deeply furrowed, reddish brown

Misidentification
E pulverulenta. has very similar look but the truck sheds its bark.

Location
Aptos
1935 Dolphin Dr

Santa Cruz
209 Merced Ave - cut to 8' tall stumps, hate when that happens

132 Kenneth Dr, Nice big specimen

Populus alba - White Poplar

The white poplar tree is a very large, fast growing tree reaching heights of 50-70' with a spread almost equal to the height. Often multi-stemmed with large primary branches

forming a broad rounded crown. Since is likes moister soils its not found very often in our area. I have only seen two, but where there is one there are more, as you can see, the clump below are other plants.

Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-5" long, maple-like in shape with 3-5 lobes. Dark green upper surface, but easily distinguished from a maple by the white undersides of the leaves. Like all poplars they have flattened petioles which allow the leaves to flutter in even the lightest breeze. Yellow fall color is pretty fair.

Flowers are dioecious, male and females on the same tree.

Fruit are small green capsules releasing white fuzzy cottony seeds that can cover streets with "snow" in summer.

Long cluster of fruit just about to release the white seeds.

Bark is quite pretty, stems silver when young, with black areas developing in horizontal bands that eventually coalescing turning the stem mostly dark.

Misidentification: Not likely.

Location
Aptos
Corner of Urbin Rd and Mar Vista Dr. off Soquel.

7109 Danko Dr.

Capitola
4645 Portola Dr. Among all the other trees on the overgrown lot.

Eucalyptus pulverulenta - Silver Mountain Gum

The Silver Mountain Gum is a large shrub or small tree. The ones I have seen do not really fit the typical description, the branching is sparse, very open, and irregular. This is I think because most of what is sold is 'Baby Blue', a commonly grown shrubby cultivar for the florist industry. Has a very interesting and architecturally interesting  habit.

Mature leaves are evergreen, alternate or sub opposite 3-5" long, lanceolate, silver on both surfaces. These leaves are from a tree on the Stanford campus.

Juvenile leaves are evergreen, opposite, about an inch long and wide, lacking a petiole, often slightly pointed at the tips, and very silver blue due to a dense waxy layer.

Flowers are an ivory white to yellowish color, borne in the axils of the leaves in groups of threes.

Fruit are capsules, clustered in threes, cup shaped, about 3/8" diameter.

Bark falls from stems, even older ones, in long sheets, reddish - brownish.

The bark is not persistent like E. cinerea.

Misidentification: Only E. cinerea, and the only way I can tell them apart is the bark.

Location:

Capitola. Cortez St on the corner of Saint Francis Ave.