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

Bauhinia × blakeana - Hong Kong Orchid Tree

I first encountered this specimen while investigating Oceanview Ave. on a tip from a student about the huge trees. I was in Oceanview park and came out to find this poor little tree with only a few leaves, looking like it might be dead soon. Put in my notes that is was there but didn't think much about it. I went back in late November only to find it in bloom and doing quite well. I doubt it will reach its full potential here, it's reportedly damaged with temperatures of 20F. Trees reportedly semi-deciduous or completely deciduous, 15-20' tall and usually wider that tall, dome shaped. Looks a bit coarse with its long branches going in all directions.

Leaves are semi-deciduous or deciduous, alternate, simple, and more or less round in outline. The tip of the leaf is deeply lobed at least 1/3 of the way to the base. All the veins originate at the base of the leaf and radiate outward. Generally bluish green in color and often folded up like a clam closing or a butterfly.

Fragrant flowers appearing in fall into the winter and blooming until spring. Magenta color, five petals and sepals, 5+ inches wide, asymmetrical, long stamens with curving tip and female part even longer and more curved.

Stems some what zig-zagging at the nodes, smooth and green or brown in the fall, but new strong growth may have copper colored hairs. Vegetative buds look naked but I have not seen references to that.

Misidentification:
I have read references suggesting the leaves can look like Cercis canadensis but deeply lobed at the tip. I think the give away that its not a Cercis is the leaves folded up and deeply lobed. Now the trouble begins, as there are more than on species of Bauhinia, B. variegata has smaller leaves, less shallowly lobed to almost not lobed, smaller flowers, but same color flower or very pale to almost white. The pictures I have seen of B. variegata in full bloom the flowers all look very light colored, almost white.

I am open to being schooled on this plant. Doubt the owner will read this and most don't know what is planted in their yards.

Location:
Santa Cruz
113 Oceanview Ave.

Ilex × altaclerensis 'Lawsoniana' - Lawson HIghclare Holly

A pretty variegated variety of the hybrid holly, this plant does not seem to have its own common name. The common name Highclare holly seems to be used for all the cultivars of this hybrid cross. Oh well. I am going to make up one. Regardless of the name, this trees is evergreen, narrow upright and usually a pretty tight habit, growing 25' tall. Grown for its variegated foliage and pretty fruit.

Leaves are alternate, simple, narrowly ovate or elliptical shaped, spineless entire margins and yellow coloration in the center of the leaf. Coloration not uniform leaf to leaf.

Commonly reverts to all green leaves, so pruning is in order.

Flowers are dioecious, these being female. Small, white in clusters on new growth.

Fruit is a red berry, clustered in groups.

Stems are green. (This is from a branch with non variegated leaves.)

Bark is silver gray, smooth with some wrinkling at the branch collars.

Like so many other holly trees, this one is a hybrid between I. aquifolium x I. perado.

Misidentification:

There are several other yellow variegated hollies, some of which the variegation is on the margins, others like these. I made my identification from all the descriptions indicating the leaves revert to green, which this tree does.

Location:

Aptos

408 Gay Rd.

Ficus microcarpa nitida - Indian Laurel

I was pretty surprised to run into my first specimen(s) of the Indian Laurel in SC yesterday. Was looking at something else across the street and what I though was a heavily pruned Carob Tree had the wrong bark. I am not sure why they are rarely planted as they grow rapidly and usually start life as a house plant and get too big. Not a lot of good things to read on the internet about fig trees as landscape trees. They are often planted as a city street tree in warm coastal areas they quickly become unwanted guests. San Francisco can't pull them out fast enough. Older trees will lift sidewalks, clog sewers and create litter.  

Potentially a medium to large evergreen tree, 35 feet tall and wide. Heavily branched producing a thick canopy, ideal for a screen. Ideal for tropical cities. These trees have been pruned for years. 

Leaves are alternate, simple, oval to elliptical, 2-4" long, with entire margins, though sometimes undulated, dark green to lighter green, thick. New growth may be slightly reddish.

Young stems are green to brown. Long terminal bud is typical of most all Ficus species.

Bark is pretty. Mostly silver or gray color, smooth, potentially very thick.

The Indian Laurel will flower and produce small orange fruit that mature dark.

This tree has other names, Ficus retusa, F. nitida. Not sure what is right.

Misidentification:
Ficus benjamina is commonly grown as a houseplant as well and could be found outside. The leaves are thinner, more heavily undulated, have a longer acuminate tip, and tend to be weeping more heavily.
Bottle tree? maybe.

Location:
Santa Cruz
114 Escalona Dr.
River St and Front St at the parking garage.

Eucalyptus pulchella - Narrow Leafed Peppermint Tree

The Narrow Leafed Peppermint Tree is a medium sized evergreen tree growing to about 40 feet, with beautiful bark weeping small branchlets and very thin fragrant foliage. Nice soft look, can't say I have seen lots of them around so I am thinking its not commonly planted here.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, alternate, linear to narrowly falcate, 3-4" long by 1/4" wide, dark green with a peppermint smell when crushed.

Flowers are in clusters of 9-15 and open into a round ball of white stamens. Blooms early summer.

Flower buds in round clusters along the stem making for a great floral display.

Fruit is a small capsule, 1/3" diameter opening in fall.

Bark sheds in long sheets, but often smooth, cream to light green or gray colored bark. Eventually persistent close to the base.

Used to be know as E. linearis.

Thanks to Matt Ritter (CalPolySLO) for identification.

Misidentification:
The foliage of E. nicolii looks close but the willow-leaf peppermint has thicker leaves and of course persistent bark.


Location:
Aptos
151 Seacliff Dr. (Gone)

Acer japonicum - Full Moon Maple

The full moon maple is an awesome small tree with great foliage and fantastic fall color. Trees are usually multi-stemmed with upright spreading lateral branches developing an rounded canopy to about 20' tall. Spectacular red and orange fall color. 

I think most specimens you are likely encounter will be 'Vitifolium' and these pictures are of that cultivar. Another you may see is 'Aconitifolium' which I will highlight in a different post.

Fall color is fantastic, reddish orange and yellows. 

Leaves are opposite, simple, 3-6" long and wide, almost round in outline, palmately lobed with 7-11 shallow finely serrated lobes. The leaves are also described as being palmate with deeply divided margins, about 1/3 of the way in. 

New leaves emerge rolled up and pendulous out of the elongating red buds.

One difference seen between this and the Japanese maple is the presence of hairs on the petioles.

Flowers are small, red and yellow colored, emerging with the new foliage but lasting well into full leaf out.

Fruit is a samara, in pairs, each about 1" long, usually at 180 degrees.

Misidentification:
Acer palmatum can look very similar. The leaves of the full moon maple are rounded (hence the full moon common name) and the petioles are hairy.

Leaves can look very much like the Vine maple, A. circinatum which is native to parts of CA and north. I think the leaves tend to have more coarsely serrated lobes.

Location
Went missing.

Podocarpus macrophyllus - Bigleaf Podocarpus

Evergreen conifer with a narrow-conical habit quite large in its native habitat but not likely to be more than 20'. Its hard to find one that is not trimmed into a hedge or screen. Grows pretty quick. Rather upright and course textured, not at all like the other commonly grown species.

Another typical espalier planting.

Hard to say what might have happened to this one, but considering it was planted in a 1' bed along a sidewalk I am surprised its still there.

Leaves evergreen, alternate, simple, narrowly lanceolate or broadly linear, dark green, 3-5" long, distinct midrib, leaves clustered and appearing whorled at the tips of the stems. Stiff looking usually vertical on the stems.

Plants are dioecious, male cones are yellow, elongated sort of like a cedar, females fleshy  elliptical greenish blue cone, 1.5" long and black when mature.  These black things are last years males.

Stems pale green or lightly brown, very strongly grooved. 

Older bark smooth, gray brown flaking in scales and eventually furrowed.

Misidentification: Other Podocarpus, (Afrocarpus has smaller thinner leaves.)

Location:

Aptos:

140 Baltusrol Dr.

Soquel

Hospital Dr. between the hospital and the large building on the right.