Fraxinus velutina 'Modesto' - Modesto Ash

I have been watching this tree for years and never stopped to take a close look at it. But one day in late November I stopped because the fall color was spectacular and most ash trees with yellow color fades very quickly. The Modesto Ash has great color for a long time. Planted in large quantities in cites as street trees. Drought tolerant as well.

Foliage is deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 4-10" long, with (3)5-7 leaflets, each leaflet elliptical to lanceolate, 1-2" long, terminal leaflet larger than the others, with long petiolules (petioles of the leaflets), margins lightly serrated along the upper half of the leaflet, entire on the lower half or more. Upper surface medium green, lower may be pubescent, especially in the spring, or smooth later in the summer. Terminal leaflet is very wide in the middle of the leaf, narrowing to a long point, while the others are much narrower.

Not sure it makes much of a difference but the rachis and the petiolules are very much grooved.

Trees are males. Don't have any pictures.

No fruit as they don't have female flowers.

Stems are pubescent when young, smooth later in summer, brown with white lenticels. Terminal buds with dense copper colored hairs and clustered in 3's, with the center one much larger than the others. Prominent leaf scars strongly U shaped with the bud in the center of the U. Not as strongly U shaped as F. americana.

Bark is smooth and gray when young, turning rough and scaly with age.

Misidentification:
Lots of ash trees look alike, this one has different terminal leaflets, often only 5 leaflets, holds its fall color longer than most. Around here you will see mostly Green Ash and the Evergreen Ash. If you are really unsure, wait till fall and into winter. The green ash has the bud on top of the leaf scar, and the evergreen ash is…. evergreen.

Location:
Aptos
3070 W. Ledyard Way

Santa Cruz
1003 Morrissey Blvd on the corner with Park Way.

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa' - Contorted Black Locust

I love twisted or contorted plants, and this one is pretty twisted. Apparently there are two versions of this plant, 'Tortuosa' and 'Lace Lady'. 'Tortuosa' has the potential of reaching 40' and are likely the ones seen on Jordan, while 'Lace Lady' are said to reach 15'. Regardless, we have a dwarf twisted form of the black locust, depending on the cultivar the plant may be 15'-40' tall. I may like it best in the winter without the twisted leaves.

Same plant in the winter.

Leaves are smaller then normal, twisted, but look like a black locust leaf with inch worms. This one is mine, in a pot and most likely 'Lace Lady'.

Flower clusters are smaller, shorter perhaps, but look like the species.

Misidentification:
Hard to guess what you might think this is. Maybe you are looking at a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick in winter?

Location:
Capitola
729 Monterey Blvd.
230 Junipero Ct.

Santa Cruz
127 Jordan on the Escalona Drive side of the house with 3 very large specimens and I think one on the Jordan side.

Sorbus aucuparia - European Mt. Ash

I saw this tree several years ago and thought it was being taken out, but its still hanging in there. The European Mt. Ash is a small to medium sized deciduous tree with great fall color and bright red-orange berries. Growing 20-40 feet tall and 8-10 wide with an upright oval habit but can be more open and rounded with age. Rarely seen in our area but more common over the hill. This one is multi-stemmed. You can see on the right that its growing pretty well over the neighbors house.

Different tree, in the fall.

Leaves are deciduous, pinnately compound, 7-9" long, with 9-15 leaflets, each about 1-2" long with serrated margins along the upper half of the leaf. Dark pale green upper surface, lighter green below, turning a beautiful red in the fall.

Flowers are white, small, about 1/3", white, borne in 6" wide flattened clusters.

Fruit is a small orange-red pome eaten by birds. 'Cardinal' is a bright red fruited cultivar.

Stems are thick, smooth by summer, with a large terminal bud that is covered with white hairs. Often with distinct lenticels. Trunk is more or less smooth.

Goes by several common names, some have Rowan in them meaning Red head….

Misidentification:
Chinese Pistachio maybe, it actually serves the same function in colder landscapes but has better looking flowers.

Location:
Capitola
419 McCromick Ave

Gleditsia triacanthos inermis 'Sunole' - Sunburst Honeylocust

This is the golden leaved version of the thornless honey locust tree. More compact than the species and slower growing to 30+ feet. The chief difference being the foliage is yellow in spring and turning light green in summer or looking burnt, but that's a pest problem. Horrible pest problem here, Pod Gall Midge.

Leaves are similar to the other cultivars except they are light yellow early spring, turning light green by mid summer. Still the same mixture of pinnate and compound pinnate leaves depending on the rate of growth. 

Here is a shot of a bad infestation of the midge.

Really all the other parts of the tree are more or less the same as the species and other cultivars of Gleditsia.

'Suncole' seems to be the proper cultivar name but most people use the trademarked name Sunburst.

Misidentification:
Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia' perhaps. The other golden foliaged "locust" has larger leaflets than Gleditisa. Neither are really common.

Location:
Aptos
Soquel Dr and Hardin Way - Corner

Soquel
4831 Soquel Dr

Santa Cruz
West Marine parking lot

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.

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.

Parkinsonia aculeata - Palo Verde

The Palo Verde or Mexican Palo Verde is a beautiful but uncommonly planted tree in SC. They are small\ trees, under 20', with a spreading to rounded canopy and a fine texture due to its very thin leaves. Can be seen as a single stemmed or multi stemmed tree or large shrub. Like so many trees, they can be well behaved or invasive depending on where they are. 

Leaves are alternate, 6-8" long, pinnately compound, 30 tiny oval leaflets on a flattened rachis. The leaves look like thin threads. The leaflets are summer drought tolerant leaving behind the petiole and rachis to photosynthesize (stems as well).

Upper surface seems to be lighter green, lower surface has a ridge, whole petiole and rachis is flattened.

These are the small oval leaflets.

Flowers are fragrant, about 3/4" in diameter, yellow with a small spot of orange on the upper most petal. Appearing at the beginning of summer in a raceme of 8-10 flowers. Five petals, sort of papery looking. Another one of those "non legume" looking legume flowers.

Fruit is a tan brown pod.


Stems are green, smooth more or less, and show distinct spines, often in threes.

Misidentification:
Other Parkensonia species, but I would not be much help.

Location
Aptos
Cabrillo College Gardens (Dead)

Santa Cruz
414 San Juan Rd.