Agonis flexuosa - Peppermint Willow

The Peppermint Willow is a fast growing small to medium evergreen tree, to 25' around here (potentially 35' plus) forming a wide spreading weeping habit, like a weeping willow perhaps. Very interesting look when in full bloom as the flowers borne along the stem seem to show off the long arching stems. The largest ones I have seen locally is on Cedar St. at the Kuumbwa.

Leaves are evergreen, simple, alternate, narrowly lanceolate, 4-5" long by about 1/2" wide. Often slightly curved or falcate shaped with neither a top or bottom. They are stout like many in the family and showing reddish new growth as well. They are know for having a very strong peppermint smell. 

New foliage emerges reddish pink in spring, very nice looking.

The flowers emerge in the spring and cover the branches with small white fragrant flowers that last 4 plus weeks. The white petals (5) often have a tinge of pink at the base.

Fruit are small capsules, really small, arranged in a round 1/4" cluster. 

Young stems show a strong zig-zag characteristic, hence the name flexuosa. 

Bark is deeply furrowed.  

This one is located in SF Golden Gate Park and shows its size potential.

The purple leaf cultivar 'Jervis Bay Afterdark' is much more popular than the species. I have never seen an older specimen that forms a shape like its species. They really grow much slower I suspect.

Misidentification: Without flowers, smell the foliage, look at the habit. The leaves resemble so many others in the family, Melaleucas and Callistemons.

Location:
Aptos:
1122 Toledo Dr. (seen in the top picture)

Santa Cruz:
Cedar St. in the parking lot of the Kuumbwa club
201 Chilverton (Morrissey west) is a nice one

1313 Escalona Dr - 5 After Dark in one yard

Photinia serratifolia - Chinese Photinia

The chinese photinia is a small evergreen tree with beautiful flowers. Grows to less than 25' with a nice compact dense rounded habit. Not to be confused with the red photinia. Gets a lot of bad press as an invasive in the south. The few that I have seen around here all look very nice year round.

Foliage is alternate, simple, obovate to oblong with very finely serrated margins and leathery in texture, as well as shiny.  

In the early spring you will find some leaves turning red, ahhh fall color.

New foliage in the spring is very much lighter green.

Flower clusters are large, maybe 8" across and can cover the entire plant. Individual flowers are small, white with 5 petals.

Fruit is a small red berry.

Stems thinnish, green with red tinges, eventually turning brown.

Misidentification

Other photinias, especially P. x fraserii, early spring they have very red new leaves.

Location

Aptos

433 Ewell Ave as seen in the picture at the top

5489 Soquel Drive a pair flanking the driveways of the duplex

Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington Thorn

The Washington Thorn is a great small tree. I like the leaves, the fall color and the fruit, and especially the thorns. The leaves are nice, flowers okay. Its just well behaved, and does what you wanted it to do. This is one of many hawthorns (Crataegus) that are present but its the best in my opinion.

The trees are deciduous, rounded to broadly oval tree to 25' with about the same spread. Often single stemmed but can frequently see multi-stemmed trees with a moderate growth rate. Fairly dense canopy with nice flowers, fruit and fall color. The best plantings I have seen are on Portola Drive in the median leaving Capitola and entering Live Oak. 

Nice row of trees in the fall.

The deciduous leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, 3-5 lobed with the center lobe much larger than the others. Sometimes it does not really look lobed, like the one at the bottom of this picture, while the one on the top is lobes, but maybe not like you think of lobes. Margins are serrated. Leaf color is dark green. Leaves are shinny.

This one is lobed, and look at the thorns.

Fruit are small (1/4") glossy red pomes in big clusters of a dozen or so. They are very persistent through winter. Then when ripe the birds will strip the tree in a matter of minutes.

Flowers are small, off white in clusters in June. Sort of a funky smell.

Stems are greenish brown, with prominant thorns. I love trees with thorns. These are great, can be 2-3" long and very sharp. You find the best thorns on vigorous growing stems.

Misidentification: Not sure, maybe another hawthorn. Last hawthorn to bloom, nice thorns though others have nice ones also.

Locations: Pretty common actually, you just might not notice them.

On Captiola Rd in the median leaving Capitola and entering Live Oak. Great planting, and why we need to see more of them. They run all the way to where Capitola Rd intersects with Soquel Ave.

Soquel: On Center St across from the White Church.

Arbutus unedo

The Strawberry Tree is a commonly planted, slow growing evergreen tree reaching 10 - 25' tall x about the same width. Usually multi-stemmed forming a spreading oval shape, often wider than tall. Perhaps less commonly planted anymore with the introduction of A. 'Marina'. Images here are from Stanford, and show it as a tree or as a shrub.

 Leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, elliptical to oblong to obovate shaped, margins coarsely serrated and often somewhat wavy. They have a nice medium green color and are lighter green below. Leaves are stiff, typical of many plants from Mediterranean climates. 

Flowers are white, urn-shaped in small pendulous clusters. Very attractive if looked at closely. Not that showy in mass from 30'.

The fruit are an attractive red/orange color. They are round, fleshy and sort of fuzzy, about  1/2 - 3/4" diameter borne in small clusters.

Stems are bright red on young vigorous branches.

Bark reddish brown with thin peeling strips.

Misidentification: Can look sort of like a Rahpiolepis shrub of maybe an Escalonia that is pruned as a small tree.

Locations: 

Aptos: Cabrillo College at the Children's Center 

545 Monterey Dr.