Self-Guided Tree Walk: Barron Park
Sign up to take an arborist-led Tree Walk. Tree Walk starting point map.
The Barron Park Tree Walk begins at Cornelis Bol Park near the intersection of Laguna Avenue and Laguna Court.
1. Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
~ Grove on the left side of the park near the neighborhood bulletin board
This is a good setting for these thirsty trees, which were planted here in 1973. In their natural setting in the foggy Santa Cruz Mountains and other coastal locations, they are able to take moisture from the fog. Here, nearby Matadero Creek and water from the lawn provide adequate moisture. Planting Coast Redwoods in groves mimics their natural growth habit; Coast Redwoods have shallow roots and the intertwining of the roots of adjacent trees helps hold them up.
2. California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)
~ 2 trees on the creek banks next to the “Matadero 1933” bridge on Laguna Avenue on the side opposite the park
These trees are among the first to leaf out in spring and the first to lose their leaves in mid-summer. They are native to this area and were used as a source of food by many California Native American tribes. Eaten raw the seeds are poisonous, but a lengthy leaching process makes them safe to eat.
3. Marina Madrone (Arbutus ‘Marina’)
~ 3743 Laguna Avenue, 4 small trees in front yard
These evergreen trees with peeling red bark are an excellent choice for a low-water garden. They grow in multi-stemmed and single-trunk forms and have strawberry-like fruit that is attractive to birds. The fruit is safe for humans to eat, but doesn’t have much flavor. Full grown, they are usually less than 30’ and almost as wide.
4. Modesto Ash (Fraxinus velutina ‘Modesto’)
~ 3821 Laguna Avenue, center front yard
Originated in Modesto, California, this tree is a cultivar of the Arizona Ash (Fraxinus velutina). Its leaves are deciduous, 3–6” long, and hairy on the underside. It is an extremely tough tree, obviously benefiting from the deep soils of the Barron Park neighborhood.
5. Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
~ 896 La Para Avenue, in wall semicircle on Laguna Avenue
The Coast Live Oak is an evergreen tree that is native throughout much of California. They grow relatively quickly to 70’ with an equal spread. Once established, they take drought well. The acorns that drop in the fall can produce young oaks very readily. There are several things that can cause the health of this tree to deteriorate: summer watering, heavy construction equipment parked on top of its root system, and soil compactions anywhere from the trunk to the outer edge of the canopy.
6. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
~ 890 La Para Avenue, left front corner
Douglas Firs are easy to recognize by their cones. The cones point down and papery bracts with three points each stick out between the scales of the cones. Environmental conditions influence the appearance of the tree. Where summers are dry, it is dense with shorter spaces between branches, as with this specimen. Where moisture or shade is abundant, it appears thin and gawky.
7. Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara)
~ 881 La Para Avenue, front yard near the street
The Deodar Cedar is recognized by its strongly pyramidal shape and slightly nodding top. The branches are graceful and sweeping. Clumps of soft needles appear all around the branches and help distinguish it from its close relative, the Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica, next on this walk). This evergreen is deeply-rooted and drought-tolerant.
8. Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica)
~ 858 La Para Avenue, center front yard
This large, majestic tree, native to the Mediterranean, was used for shipbuilding in ancient Greece. Leaf clusters on the tops of the branches and shorter, stiffer needles distinguish this cedar from the Deodar Cedar.
9a. Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis)
~ 833 La Para Avenue, right of the right driveway near the street
This mature tree is unusually large for its species. The Aleppo Pine is native to the Mediterranean region and grows 30–70’ with a variable canopy shape. Fast-growing Aleppo Pines are well adapted to our climate, as this tree demonstrates.
9b. Silver Dollar Gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)
~ 833 La Para Avenue, left of the left driveway near the white barn-like garage
This tree grows almost anywhere except for wet places. The flowers are seen as large masses of pink in December through June.
10a. Purple-leaf Plum (Prunus cerasifera)
~ 816 La Para Avenue, left side
This small tree offers nice contrast in the landscape with its strong purple color. Mostly fruitless, it also provides a stunning display of pink flowers in the spring. The frequently-planted cultivar ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ has purple-black leaves, while ‘Thundercloud’ is slightly larger with copper-red leaves.
10b. Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria)
~ 816 La Para Avenue, center front
A small tree that gets its name from the dramatic puffs of "smoke" from fading flowers. These puffs are stalks of long, fuzzy lavender-pink hairs that emerge from the faded flowers. Many cultivars, with different leaf colors, are available. All types turn a mix of colors in the fall.
10c. Olive (Olea europaea)
~ 816 La Para Avenue, right side
This attractive small tree has a rich history, from Athens and the ancient world, to their introduction to the California mission gardens by Father Junipero Serra. This tough tree can be transplanted even when large and withstands dry gardens. If it is a fruiting variety (or a non-fruiting variety that fruits anyway!), it is important to locate the tree where olives will not leave stains and make a mess on pavement.
11a. Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin)
~ 766 La Para Avenue, left front corner
This fast-growing deciduous tree takes a distinctive umbrella form as it matures. The flowers are a bit messy, so the tree is best planted among planting beds. It attracts birds to the garden and is native throughout Asia from Iran to Japan.
11b. Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
~ 766 La Para Avenue, center front yard
These deciduous trees are native to the eastern U.S. and are widely planted there as street trees. They grow to 35–50’ with a similar spread. Their fine leaflets produce dappled shade and little raking is needed. Because they lose leaves early in fall and leaf out late in spring, they are ideal on the south side of homes, where they let in light and warmth to the building in winter.
12. Valley Oak (Quercus lobata)
~ 719 La Para Avenue, right of driveway and right of sidewalk
These two younger trees may reach a height of 70’ or more, with an equal spread. Planted about 1960, these trees illustrate how a Valley Oak planted today will grow and develop over time. The acorns from Valley Oaks were a favored food of California Native American tribes, who leached out the tannic acid and found a nut with lots of carbohydrates and little fat.
13. California Pepper Tree (Schinus molle)
~ 3925 La Donna Avenue, 2 trees center and right front
A native of Peru, this fast-growing evergreen tree can reach 40’ with an equal spread. Its weeping canopy contains bright green, narrow leaflets, and many yellowish-white summer flowers in drooping 4–6” clusters. The flowers become rose-colored berries in the fall. The California Pepper Tree was introduced to California by Europeans and is a characteristic tree of the California mission gardens.
14. Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
~ 3880 La Donna Avenue, left of driveway on San Jude Avenue
Native to California, these broad topped, dense, deciduous trees do well as street trees in areas with deep soil. They grow 30–50’ tall. Notice the large, dark green leaves on this tree and the lightly-furrowed gray bark. They grow quickly to form a symmetrical, rounded canopy. This specimen is thriving on the extra irrigation from the lawn. These trees are adaptable; they can also grow well in a low-irrigation area.
15. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
~ 3852 La Donna Avenue, 2 trees on San Jude Avenue
The Tulip Tree is the tallest-growing broad-leaved native to North America. Its distinctive leaves turn butter yellow before dropping off in the fall. Light green tulip-shaped flowers borne in the summer are hidden high in trees 12 years old and older. Tulip Trees often drop sticky sap due to aphid infestation common in our climate zone. These trees are healthier with regular watering.
16. American Elm (Ulmus americana)
~ 3842 La Donna Avenue, 2 trees
Native to the eastern U.S. and Texas, this deciduous tree has toothed leaves that are 3–6” long. These lovely large trees have so far escaped Dutch elm disease and the pests that have decimated the American Elm population in this country.
17. Raywood Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia oxycarpa ‘Raywood’)
~ 720 Paul Avenue, center front yard
This round-headed medium-sized tree is distinctive in the purple-red colors it displays in autumn. It is a fast-growing tree that will take on a difficult environment. However, with its susceptibility to branch failure (dropping branches), root problems, and various diseases, the City of Palo Alto no longer plants the Raywood Ash as a street tree.
18. Plume Cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’)
~ 742 Paul Avenue, right front corner
A fast-growing, graceful tree with feathery foliage and thin red-brown bark that peels off in strips. Although it is an evergreen conifer, in winter the tree’s color changes to rich coppery red or purplish. Native to Japan, it is the national tree of Japan, where it is called Sugi.
19. Red Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon)
~ 750 Paul Avenue, 2 trees right side of front yard
This species grows in a variety of shapes from upright to weeping and from open to dense. It is easily distinguished from other eucalyptus species by its deeply-furrowed dark red-brown, almost black, bark. Reddish-pink flowers form showy clusters from autumn to late spring. The blue-green leaves turn bronze in fall.
20. Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
~ 769 Paul Avenue, right of driveway
Young Dawn Redwoods grow very fast, sometimes 4–6’ a year, ultimately reaching a height of 80–90’. The needles are lighter green and softer to the touch than those of the Coast Redwood. In the fall, they turn brown and drop off completely. It is rare for Dawn Redwood seeds to sprout; trees such as this one are grown from cuttings.
21. Canary Island Pine (Pinus canariensis)
~ 3737 El Centro Street, row of 4 trees in front
A drought-tolerant tree, Canary Island Pine grows fast into a pyramidal shape. Needles grow in bundles of 3 and are 9–12” long. A distinguishing characteristic of this pine is the needle growth. New needles point upwards and old needles downwards.
22. Pecan (Carya illinoensis)
~ 3675 La Calle Court, at the corner of Barron Avenue
Native to the south-central U.S., this fast-growing deciduous nut tree can attain 70’ with a spreading canopy. Edible nuts from Pecan trees are a rarity in our climate; although the trees will sometimes set nuts, summer temperatures here are not high enough for the nuts to harden. And even if the nuts formed properly, the squirrels would beat you to them!
23. Mosaic Tree
~ 3680 La Calle Court, left side of the front yard near the street
Not a tree at all, but an artist’s representation of a tree. Created by Palo Alto artist Christine Heegaard and called Lives, it represents a tree in all seasons that grows all fruits and gives shade, shelter, oxygen, and colors.
Symbols Legend
Trees protected by the City of Palo Alto tree ordinance
A permit is needed to remove or prune these trees.
Check the City of Palo Alto Tree Regulations.
Trees with low watering needs
These trees are best adapted to our climate and water availability.
Thirsty trees
These trees require frequent summer irrigation and will suffer from the drought cycle in our area.
Do not plant unless you are aware of a water source such as high water table or creek proximity.
Trees not recommended for planting
These trees are either invasive, do not perform well or create infrastructure or other problems.
