Lagunaria patersonii - Cow Itch Tree

The cow itch tree is an evergreen tree growing to 30 feet tall by 20 wide. Native to Norfolk Island. Grows as an upright to rounded tree. Not really common. My good friends had their first date under these trees.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, oval, dark green above, light gray below, about 2" long.

Flowers are 1" across, hibiscus like (which means the stamens are fused into a column surrounding the stigma) pink to rose color, fading to white, produced in the summer.

Fruit is a brown capsule. when open they contain very fine hairs that causing itching. Doubt they cause cows to itch.

Misidentification:
foliage might look like a holly oak, maybe…

Location
Capitola
Opal Cliff Dr

Laburnum x watereri - Golden Chain Tree

When ever I think about Laburnum I think of all the great photos of the Laburnum arch at Bodnant Gardens in Wales. This is what it should look like but, we were early…. Oh well, the garden was spectacular.

The Golden Chain Tree is a small, weak growing tree selected for the brilliant yellow flowers in the early spring. Growing to about 20' by 10' its habit is upright and fairly tight. This one below is from Spokane. If you encounter one, its likely to be the cultivar  'Vossi' which has longer flower clusters.

Leaves are deciduous, trifoliate, looking somewhat like a clover leaf. Leaflets are broadly oval, with serrations at the tips.

Flowers are yellow, pea like borne on long, potentially 2' long pendulous racemes. Emerging in the early spring, they can cover the whole tree. 

Fruit is a pod, typical legume, 3" long.

Twigs are green, covered with silver hairs. Buds are plump and round and also covered with silver hairs.

Mature bark is more or less green with diamond shaped lenticles, but may develop brownish areas with age.

This one is in Aptos.

Misidentification:
Cant think of anything, the trifoliate leaves are pretty distinct as are the green twigs.

Location:
Aptos
181 Via Trinita in median
Wingfoot Way (Corner of Wingfoot and St Andrews)

Tabebuia chrysotricha - Golden Trumpet Tree

The Golden Trumpet Tree is as rare sight in SC and a welcome one in late winter. Trees are covered with bright yellow trumpet shaped flowers. Growing 20-30' tall with a variable shape, upright to spreading umbrella shaped. I was a little late for this shot.

Leaves opposite, deciduous, palmately compound with 3-5 leaflets, dark green upper surface, lower surface with hairs. Leaflets elliptical to obovate, 4" long. 

Twigs and buds are densely covered with coppery colored hairs

Flowers are borne in droopy clusters of 3-5 flowers each about 2-3" long, trumpet shaped with reddish brown streaks on the inner surface of the petals.  Calix (sepals) have the same pubescence as the stems. 

Fruit is an elongated capsule, 8" long more or less straight, covered with the same coppery colored hairs, persisting most all year. Opening to reveal seeds with long wings. (Same family as the Catalpas so the fruit and seeds are similar.)

Synonym: Handroanthus chrysotrichus

Misidentification:

Around here I doubt it, in SoCal, there are other species.

Location:
Capitola
4570 Opal St.

Carya ovata - Shagbark Hickory

The shagbark hickory tree is not common around here. I have only seen them in two location. Hoping this one survives its location in parking lot M at Cabrillo. (It did not survive the solar panel insulation.)

In its native habitat they grow quite large, references suggest 70-90' and several on Poplar St in SC have to be 50 or more.

Here is a shot from somewhere in the midwest, most likely Illinois. As you can see from the photo, the lower branches have an upward start but quickly weep down creating an interesting view from below. 

Leaves are deciduous, alternate, 8-14" long, pinnately compound with 5 (or sometimes 7) leaflets. Leaflets are light green in color, the terminal leaflet much larger than the laterals. Leaflets are 3-8" long broadly lanceolate to elliptical leaflets with finely serrated margins. There is quite of bit of coppery pubescence on the stems and leaves just as they emerge from the bud, missed that shot. Leaves turn yellowing brown in the fall.

Stems stout, brown, with rounded buds.

Flowers are monoecious, in mid spring, forming male catkins and small almost invisible females.

Male catkins 3-4" long, yellowish green, emerging with the foliage.

Females. You can see the ridges typical of hickories.

Fruit is a hickory. The husk is ridged. These are still young. Its only June.

In October.

Not hard to figure out how they ended up with the common name.

Misidentification:
You might think its a walnut. They have compound leaves and the same type of flowers and fruit. Our typical walnut with so few leaflets would be the english walnut but those have much larger leaflets.

Location:
Aptos
Cabrillo College parking lot M. (Gone)

Santa Cruz
Poplar Ave across from the Branciforte Middle School. One in front, one in back.

Tabebuia impetiginosa - Pink Trumpet Tree

Pink Trumpet tree, best seen in warmer climates than our grows 20-25' tall with an open upright to lightly spreading habit. There maybe more here but I have only seen one.

This is at the Huntington Gardens.

I ran into this tree looking for the famous Monkey hand tree on Spring St, and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a beautiful Pink Dogwood, so I hung a quick U-turn and wow. I went back almost 8 weeks later and it was still blooming. The owner told me they were once planted all along Pacific Ave.

Found this one on the west side, can't wait to see it in bloom.

Foliage is deciduous, opposite, palmately compound, 3-5 medium green leaflets, elliptical shaped, 4" long, slightly serrated margins.

Little different look, a bit more stiff and weathered, but this was early fall and the other was spring.

Buds are silver, terminal is flat, while the laterals are very small. Stem greenish brown.

Tubular flowers are borne in clusters of 3-5 flowers, pink to purple with a yellow throat.

 Flower display at the Huntington.

Fruit is a long (8") skinny capsule, smooth green, no hairs, usually pretty straight. 

Bark is attractive.

Synonyms: Lots Handroanthus impetiginosus, Tabebuia avellanedae.


Misidentification:
Compared to the yellow trumpet tree when not blooming, look at the foliage, stems and fruit, one is covered with copper hairs, this one is not.

Location
Santa Cruz
112 Quarry Ln
124 Kenneth Dr. Wow, go see that one.
316 Oceanview Ave

Fraxinus uhdei - Evergreen Ash

The largest of the Ash trees in our area, the mostly evergreen ash grows 80 feet tall and 60 feet wide with large upright and arching primary scaffold branches and if lining a street would cover it like an American Elm. Also called the Shamel Ash. This one is on the corner of Walnut and Cedar.

Leaves are evergreen or deciduous in colder climates, oppositely arranged, pinnately compound 6-8" long with 7 or 9 leaflets, each 3-4" long, narrowly ovate or lanceolate, with serrated margins.

Plants dioecious or monoecious, usually separate. Small, green, only obvious because they are different color green than the leaves.

Fruit is a straight samara, 1-2" long, maturing light tan. Produced in abundance on female trees if a male is in the area.

Bark smooth and green when young, remaining smooth and only slightly fissured with age. Leaf scars are pretty interesting and can be used to identify some ash trees.

Buds on ash trees all look alike, mostly copper but sometimes black. Short and fatter than tall. Clustered at the tips.

Misidentification:

Fraxinus pensylvanica, the green ash. My good friend told me you can tell the difference in winter if they still have leaves, not much help eh?

Location:
Capitola
216 Oakland Ave. intersection with Escalona. Not sure if that's the real number, was a church and was converted to a house.

44th and Capitola Rd. in the parking lot, huge tree, almost always with fruit.

Santa Cruz
Center St and Walnut at the corner of the parking garage.