Griselinia littoralis - Griselinia

Griselinia is a fast growing evergreen tree or shrub originating from New Zealand and is commonly seen as a hedge. Growing to 40-50' in its native habitat it likely will stay much shorter in cultivation. I don't think I have seen one outside of a botanic garden over 15 feet. They do make a great thick screen and can be pruned formally and hedged. Prefers coastal conditions.

Leaves are alternately arranged, simple, broadly elliptical to rounded, 4" long, thick, and light shiny green. Margins can be somewhat undulated.

There are several variegated cultivars.

Plants are dioecious, flowers are borne in the axils of the leaves in short panicles bearing 50 or more flowers. San Marcos Growers suggests that there is only one clone being grown in commerce and its a male.

Stems are an olive green color developing into a brownish bark with age.

Misidentification:

I don't know, the leaves look somewhat like Peperomias

Location:

Santa Cruz

1320 Mission St

Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' - Emerald Arborvitae

The 'Smaragd' cultivar of the common arborvitae is a popular compact version of some of the old school pyramidal arborvitaes that grew too large and fell apart in the snow. Growing more conical than columnar, they make a nice hedge growing to about 12' by 5' at the base. Dark green for the most part. I was under the impression this cultivar was a hybrid, but I cant seem to find that reference any longer. The foliage resembles foliage in the oriental arborvitae group. 

Foliage is scale-like, in pairs, along an almost oval stem. Leaves tightly clasping the stem and not diverging at the tip like some others. New foliage is light green, older foliage is emerald green, which is the american name for this cultivar.

Branchlets are flattened, somewhat fan shaped and held partially vertical.

This plant is often called 'Emerald' Arborvitae in the USA, we can't pronounce foreign words very well…..

Misidentification:
Other arborvitaes that form columns. Look for the smaller size plant, nice color foliage, and the slightly vertical orientation of the branchlets.

Location:
Aptos
3595 E. Ledyard Way

601 Clubhouse Dr.

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.

Prunus laurocerasus - English Laurel

The English Laurel is another big hedge gone wild, and like others, its not their fault, its ours. We plant them to be hedges and when the plants get over our head we can't prune them anymore, so they grow into what they want to be. Classic hedge for sure. Broadleaf evergreen 10-20' tall, easily wider, dense, can't say I have ever seen one grown by itself.

Leaves evergreen, simple, alternate (but forming such a uniform flat spray they often look opposite), obovate to oblong, 6-8" long, up to 2" wide, small accumulate tip, and lightly serrated margins. Medium to dark green upper surface. Two glands at the base of the petiole (typical of many Prunus). Leaves are toxic, do not eat them.

Flowers in narrow upright 4-6" racemes, individual flowers small, white and fragrant (though I am not a fan of the smell).

 Stems not thin, not thick, pointed lateral buds.

Fruit is a black drupe, about 1/2" diameter.

Often seen in colder climates as one of the dwarf cultivars which are considerably cold hardy. 'Otto Luyken' is very common.

Misidentification:

Can't think if any, large leaf with gland is pretty clear.

Prunus laurocerasus is the type species for the subgenus Laurocerasus or the cherry laurels. Others in this group include P. ilicifolia, P. lyonii, P. laurocerasus, P. lusitanica, P. carolinana. They all have flowers that look and smell like these.

Location:

Aptos: 

Rio Del Mar Blvd and Clubhouse Drive on the corner.

Pittosporum eugeniodes - Lemonwood (Tarata)

You are more likely to see the lemonwood (Tarata) growing as a hedge than as a tree. And more than likely if you find a tree its because someone failed to prune it after it got over their head. Its not that is a bad tree, its just a great hedge, that you don't want to forget to prune. If allowed to grow it might hit 30-35' with a 15' spread, upright fairly tight habit but spreads out when mature.

Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, oblong to elliptical, 4" x 1" wide, light green above, lighter below, great undulated margins, pale yellow midrib, smell like lemons when crushed.

Terminal leaf bud is long, pointed and the bud scales have a dark edge making the bud look striped. You can see it on the left. The leaves show a their undulation.

Flowers in clusters in spring, pale yellow, and small.

Fruit is a capsule, tan ripening to black opening to reveal black sticky seeds.

Bark is smooth, gray.

Misidentification, not likely, undulated light green leaves with a contrasting mid vein and  most likely pretending to be a hedge.


Location:
Soquel:
S. Main St

Capitola
507 Escalona