Agonis flexuosa 'Burgundy' - Burgundy Peppermint Willow

This is a newer cultivar of the Australian Willow and seems to develop a fuller canopy than the dark purple 'Jervis Bay Afterdark' which has been planted all over town. Reported to grow to 25' by about 15' wide with a weeping habit. One issue I have seen is the very narrow crotch angle formed on the trunk which might be a structural issue as the trees mature.

A nice specimen at Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville.

The new leaves come out in early spring with a beautiful burgundy color. The color fades by the end of winter but the new foliage comes out quickly with another flush of color.

 

This is the issue I see with all of the trees I have seen. The trunk splits into two co-dominate leaders with a very narrow crotch angle. As those stems increase in diameter they will push the other away and eventually split.

Misidentification:

Not sure what you might think it is.

Location:

Aptos

280 Baltusrol Dr

Santa Cruz

36 Rockview Drive

Watsonville 

Sierra Azul Nursery

x Chiranthodendron lenzii

I can't tell you how many times I must have driven past this tree and not seen it. Then, a few days ago there is was in full bloom standing up against a larger magnolia that must have caught my eye.

This is a man made hybrid between the Mexican hand tree and a California native.
Chiranthodendron pentadactylon x Fremontodendron 'Pacific Sunset'. Sometimes called x Chiranthofremontia lenzii and I recall a citation that the whole group might be one species. There is not a lot of information on these trees and I think I have only seen 3-4 of them in person. I think the more common name is the Hybrid Monkey Hand Tree.

Evergreen tree growing 30+ feet tall upright branching, sort of pyramidal to columnar with stiff branches. Lower branches flattening out, which is nice because the flowers sit on the tops of the stems.

Foliage is attractive, resembling its parents, alternately arranged, simple, 4-5" long and wide, palmately lobed with 3-5 lobes, dark green glossy leathery upper surface and a whitish bronze below due to all the hairs on the surface.

Stems are also covered with hairs, at least when young. The oldest specimen I have seen shows smooth bark.

Flowers are really pretty cool looking. Borne on the upper surface of the stems, they are a yellowish orange color on the outside and more orange inside. The monkey paw part of the flower is the 5 stamens and are golden colored rather than red like one of its parents. You can see the stigma pointing to 11 o'clock.

Flowers with the stamens still closed.

Flower bud.

Flowers are often found along the tops of the branches.

Misidentification:
Likely to think its a Fremontidendron but the flowers are different, these flowers have red/orange inside and not yellow like our native tree.

Chiranthodendron pentadactylon has red stamens.


Location:
Corralitos
2957 Freedom Blvd

Santa Cruz
Arboretum, past the small nursery growing area.

Schefflera pueckleri - Mallet Flower

The Schefflera tree, known by many as Tupidanthus calyptratus is a tropical house plant that manages to grow nicely in some of our more mild areas. Grows 15-20' or larger depending on where you live, or it lives. Generally pretty narrow in cultivation. More than likely planted out front when it was too large for the living room or someone was moving out and could not take it with them.

Leaves are alternate, palmately compound, 7-9 leaflets, each leaflet 6-8" long, elliptical, to obovate, or oblong-lanceolate, margins undulated. Leaves bright green. Leaf base usually swollen and wrapping around the stem part way.

Fruit are pretty odd, really, looking sort of like little animal faces with smiles. Seems there are two fused together on a green stalk.

Flower buds in August, they are stalked and resemble a mallet, hence the common name.

Misidentification
Schefflera actinophylla I guess, but this is more coarse in texture, and the flowers are very different.

Location:
Santa Cruz
505 Lembrandt Ave

Hakea salicifolia 'Gold Medal' - Golden WIllow-Leaved Hakea

The first time I saw this tree I was walking around the UCSC arboretum in summer and it jumped out at me like it was lit up. I wandered over and spent 10 minutes looking for a name tag, nothing, man I hate that. Anyway, took a few photos and went on my way. Not sure how great they perform in the landscape. Taking with a few nurserymen I had decided not to buy one for school. Discovered in Australia, this evergreen tree/shrub grows 8-15' tall and wide forming a pretty dense screen. Known for its beautiful foliage, especially in the spring.

This is younger tree in the spring.

Foliage is alternate, evergreen, simple, narrowly lanceolate, often twisted or bent, 3-4" long, about 1/2" wide, creamy variegation is not uniform with large patches of green. Spring color is a beautiful pink.

The fruit of Hakea are pretty weird looking, spotted reddish turning brown.

Misidentification:
I really had no idea what it was the first time I saw it and without the odd fruit it looked something like an Acacia with phyllodes. My experience with Hakea was limited to noticing the flowers and not paying much attention to the foliage.

Location:
Santa Cruz
1045 N. Branciforte Ave.
UCSC arboretum

Ilex x altacherensis 'Golden King' - Golden King Holly

The 'Golden King' is a variegated foliaged female, I know, funny name for a female, but perhaps even more funny is another cultivar 'Golden Queen' is a male. Go figure. One of many hybrid hollies breed and selected for in England. This cultivar is not commonly found around here. Evergreen tree with an upright habit to 25' or so and typically with a dense canopy.

Foliage is alternate, simple, ovate to oblong, four inches long or so, about 1" wide, dark green in the center and golden to whitish colored margins. Variegation variable, not just the color but the symmetry and amount of variegation. Margins mostly entire, occasionally 2 spines near the apex of the leaf.

Flowers dioecious, white, small, females have infertile stamens. Need a male around to provide pollen.

Fruit is red, 1/4" to 3/8" diameter in clusters of 3-7 or there about. Persistent through winter, still in place when blooming the following spring. See above.

Misidentification:
Other hollies, but this one has entire margins and the variegation pattern is in the middle of the leaf and not on the edges.

Location
Santa Cruz
At the Civic Center

Agonis flexuosa 'Jervis Bay Afterdark'

I really like this tree, it pushes all the right buttons for me, small, weeping, and purple. Discovered as a mutation in a nursery it is now way more popular than the species from which it was derived. Estimated height is a about 20' with a spread of 10'. Mature specimens are a bit more open and said to be less purple. (This one tipped over in the wind.)

The new foliage comes out scarlet in the spring before darkening to a deep purple. Leaves are smaller than the species which adds to its soft weeping texture.

Flowers are white, with a pinkish purple center, five petals that are obovate allowing you to see though the flower.

Fruit is a small persistent capsule and should be like the species.

Misidentification:
Perhaps Leptospermum 'Dark Shadows'. Both have small white flowers, and short purple leaves. Agonis lacks the hairs on the leaves and is by far more weeping.

There is a new purple leaved Agonis 'Burgundy', but the foliage quickly becomes green and is no way close to the dark purple of this one. However, seems to make a fuller tree.

There is a dwarf, 'Nana' that I would like to see.

Location:
Aptos
420 Clubhouse


Capitola
816 41st. Ave. in the alley between Verve Coffee and Penny Ice Cream are 3 nice recently planted specimens.

4690 Crystal St. (lots of other unique trees)

Next to Verve coffee shop on 41st are 3 nice specimens.

Santa Cruz
1313 Escalona Dr 5 in one yard.

Azara microphylla - Boxleaf Azara

The boxleaf Azara is a small evergreen tree with an upright to arching habit reaching 15- 20' tall. Most of the time you will see them growing as multi-stemmed specimens or pruned flat against walls. I have seen plants in landscapes and have not been impressed with the shape, often leggy, too open and a bit stiff. The variegated selection is more popular.

Foliage is alternate, simple, obovate, about an inch long, margins more or less smooth but you may find some small teeth. The foliage is borne on a flattened branching pattern.

I mentioned that the leaves are alternate, but they appear to be opposite or close. They develop a leaf like stipule at each leaf that is smaller than the true leaf.

Flowers are yellow, borne in the spring or late winter in the axils of the leaves. Fragrant, smelling of chocolate or vanilla, easy to miss if not looking for them, and I don't ever seem to be looking for them.


Misidentification:
Luma apiculata foliage is similar, especially the foliage appearing to be opposite, but its not.

Location:
Santa Cruz
160 or so Sylvar St. across from the Mission Park, up against the wall.

Acacia retinodes - Water Waddle

The Water Waddle is a fast growing evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 20 x 20' forming a rounded to oval shape, if growing alone, but these seem to be in groves. Makes a nice fine textured screen. Reportedly blooms throughout the season, and called Ever-blooming Acacia.

Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, slightly curved, dull gray green, no distinct upper or lower surface, slightly enlarged area near the base of the petiole.

Flowers are pale yellow or cream colored, fragrant, in clusters. Clusters (heads) are arranged in racemes with 5-9 heads per inflorescence. Other sites call this the ever-blooming wattle as it may bloom sporadically year round. My pictures are from winter, and only a few branches had flowers.

Fruit is a pod with some restrictions between the seeds. 4-5" long.

Young stems are bright red-mahogony eventually turning gray.

Trunk reportedly scaly at maturity but these trees are pretty young and smooth.

Wirilda Wattle is another common name.
There are two botanical varieties, but they seem to look alike, one preferring wetter soils.

Misidentification:
While taking pictures of the flowers one day a neighbor wanted to know what I was doing. After informing him he told me the tree was a black acacia and since he worked for a tree company for 30 years he was sure. But if you step back and look at the leaves, and flowers, he was not far off.

Odd Acacias are tough, helps to see the flowers, pods and leaves.

Location:
Santa Cruz
Harper St. at the east end, past the sign that says private road (oops) across from Daniva Ct. and above all the trash cans.

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.

Banksia seminuda - River Banksia

The River Banksia is one of the largest growing banksias, reaching 50-60 feet tall with a straight trunk. This one has been limbed up, my hunch is to keep people from sleeping under. 

One of many beautiful specimens at UCSC arboretum.

Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 3-5" long, narrow, leathery, dark green upper and white lower surfaces, margins light serrated.

Looks good from underneath.

Flowers in the fall, red/orange flowers in 8" long by 3" wide inflorescences with hundreds of individual flowers in pairs. Flowers can also be yellow, UCSC arboretum was selling some last year.

Fruits are aggregated into woody clusters looking like a cone. Few flowers actually produce fruit. Those that do are larger and when they open remind one of clams. Love the coloration of the "cone".

Remnants of the flowers with no fruit maturing.

Bark is interesting, fissured, orangish and gray.

Misidentification:
Other Banksias I guess. I have seen B. integrifolia around quite a bit, but they have smaller clusters of flowers, and not orange.

Location
Santa Cruz
1111A River Street (Highway 9)