Self-Guided Tree Walk: Greenmeadow
Sign up to take an arborist-led Tree Walk. Tree Walk starting point map.
The Greenmeadow Tree Walk begins at the Greenmeadow Community Center, 303 Parkside Drive.
1. Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum)
~ 4039 Scripps Avenue, front yard
A native of China and Japan, this tree is popular for its beautiful fall color. The light green foliage is dense, but flutters at the slightest breeze. This tree produces many seeds, which can germinate and sprout readily making this tree invasive, especially along creeks. The waxy coat on the seeds can be extracted for use in making candles and soap.
2. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
~ 4005 Ben Lomond Drive, front yard
This hardwood tree can reach 60’. Like all maples, it has pairs of leaves alternating at 90-degree angles on the branches. Native to eastern North America, this is the tree that produces maple syrup. The leaves provide spectacular color in temperate climates.
3. Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
~ 4017 Ben Lomond Drive, front yard
A Pacific Coast native whose habitat ranges from California to Alaska. Locally, it grows naturally near streams in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The leaves turn bright yellow in the fall.
4. Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
~ 4043 Ben Lomond Drive, front yard
The Cork Oak is an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean. You can thank this tree for the cork in your wine bottle. The trunk and main limbs are covered with thick bark harvested to make corks. This tree can grow to 50’ with an equal spread. It needs good drainage or its leaves will turn yellow. It is very drought-tolerant once established.
5. River She-oak (Casuarina cunninghamiana)
~ 4045 Ben Lomond Drive, right side
This Australian native looks like a pine, but is not a pine at all. Look at the needles to see lines like joints. These needles are actually dark green twigs, rather than needles. They manufacture food and replace leaves. The small cone-like fruits are collections of seed capsules, which contain a winged seed.
6. Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana)
~ 4055 Ben Lomond Drive, right side
This tree is native only to a small stretch of Southern California coast near San Diego and Santa Rosa Island. Like most pines, the number of needles per bundle and the length of the needles are good keys to identification. Torrey Pines have bundles of 5 needles that are 8–13” long.
7. Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthefolius)
~ 4073 Ben Lomond Drive, left side against the fence
Although they don’t look at all alike, Brazilian Pepper Trees are related to the more common California Pepper Tree (Schinus molle). Contrary to its common name, it is actually native to Brazil’s neighbor, Peru. The dark green glossy leaves are divided into 5–13 oval leaflets. Its bright red berries are very showy in winter and are sold as pink peppercorns, though seeds are toxic in large amounts.
8. Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
~ 4074 Ben Lomond Drive, left side
One of the tallest trees in the world, the Coast Redwood can grow up to 340’. It has a woodsy smell, is pest free, and is fast growing. Here, the azaleas, ferns, and lawn are good choices for nearby landscaping and provide an attractive setting.
9. Fern Pine (Podocarpus gracilior)
~ 4078 Ben Lomond Drive, near the front door
Native to eastern Africa, but well-adapted to California. Depending on the way the plant was propagated and the type of pruning it receives, it can be used as a street or lawn tree, or a hedge. As a tree, it is drought-tolerant, clean, and pest-free. It is also known as Afrocarpus elongata.
10. Laceleaf Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’)
~ 4094 Ben Lomond Drive, center front yard
Growing low to the ground and in a wide dome shape, Laceleaf Maples are showcase trees. They are slow growing and can reach up to 6’ high by 12’ wide. Like other Japanese Maples, they come in many different leaf colors.
11. Moraine Ash (Fraxinus holotricha ‘Moraine’)
~ 253 Ferne Avenue, center front yard near the sidewalk
A fast-growing deciduous tree that can reach up to 40’ high by 35’ wide. Like all ashes, what looks like a leaf is technically a leaflet. The long compound leaf is a collection of 8–10” leaflets arranged opposite each other on the stem with a single leaflet at the end. The leaflets turn yellow in the fall. Native to the Balkan Peninsula.
12. Soapbark Tree (Quillaja saponaria)
~ 256 Ferne Avenue, center front yard near the sidewalk
The bark of this tree, native to Chile, contains saponin, a lather-producing chemical. It is used in parts of Chile for washing and cleaning. White, ½” wide spring flowers are followed by inch-wide brown fruit that opens in a star shape. Evergreen and drought-tolerant.
13. Empress Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
~ 272 Ferne Avenue, right rear corner of the front yard
This deciduous Chinese ornamental tree is one of the fastest growing hardwood trees in the world. It grows up to 10’ a year to create a 40–50’ tree that is almost as wide. The very large leaves give it a tropical look. The flower buds are formed in the fall and lie in wait through the winter until they bloom before the leaves appear in early spring. The seed capsules are up to 2” long and remain on the tree along with next season’s flower buds. The capsules dry up and split to release lots of winged seeds.
14. Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis)
~ 288 Ferne Avenue, right side
This tree is sometimes be troublesome in the San Francisco Bay Area, needing lots of water for establishment and causing infrastructure damage. Also, its growth habit is quite variable, with some individuals being notably pendulous. Not recommended for planting, though birds find the berries delectable.
15a. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)
~ 318 Ferne Avenue, right front corner
Trying to stay away from chocolate? Pods from the female trees are milled to a fine powder and used as a substitute for chocolate. The foliage is glossy dark green, the spring flowers are red, and the trunk is full of character. It is also a very drought-tolerant tree.
15b. Sterling Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa ‘Sterling’)
~ 318 Ferne Avenue, near the street corner
The leaves of this young deciduous tree are green on top and silvery underneath. They turn and ripple in the slightest breeze to give a two-tone effect. Sterling Silver Lindens are known for having an especially handsome winter silhouette.
16. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)))
~ 4107 MacKay Drive, left of the front walkway
A deciduous tree native to the eastern U.S. The leaves have four lobes and turn to bright yellow in the fall. Greenish-yellow tulip-shaped flowers appear in late spring, usually not until the tree is 12–15 years old. Deciduous magnolia trees are often erroneously called Tulip Trees; this is the true Tulip Tree.
17. Holly Oak (Quercus ilex)
~ 4101 MacKay Drive, on Shasta Drive near the corner
This evergreen tree has leathery green leaves, pale and soft underneath. The shape of the leaf is variable; lower leaves are larger and may be spiny. The name (both common and botanical) comes from its resemblance to European Holly, Ilex aquifolium. It is native to the Mediterranean and drought-tolerant, but produces many acorns.
18. Rivers Purple Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Riversii’)
~ 396 Shasta Drive, center of the front yard
One of the earliest imported tree species established in the American colonies. The wood is used for timber. This cultivar has deep purple leaves in spring that gradually turn green during the summer. Beechnuts are used as stock feed in Europe, and oil can be extracted from them, as was done in Germany during both World Wars.
19. White Mulberry (Morus alba)
~ 4094 Nelson Drive, left front yard
This deciduous tree is native to China. It has long been cultivated in other Asian countries and in southern Europe as the food plant of the silkworm. The leaves have rounded teeth and may be lobed or not lobed at all, even on the same tree.
20. Edible Fig (Ficus carica)
~ 376 Diablo Court, right side
With their tropical-looking foliage and strong trunk and branch pattern, Edible Figs are decorative ornamental trees as well as fruit producers. Two crops of figs are normally produced each year. Native to western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, many cultivars of Edible Figs are available.
21. Flowering Pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’)
~ 362 Diablo Court, front yard
This tree was planted by Canopy in 1996 in honor of former Palo Alto Mayor Lanie Wheeler. This tradition began as a way to thank the mayor for his or her service to the community. The ‘Chanticleer’ variety of this ornamental pear grows to 40’ and is colorful in the fall. It blooms early in the spring, then produces small, round, inedible fruit.
22. Flaxleaf Paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia)
~ 4046 Nelson Drive, left of the driveway on Tioga Court
Native to Australia, this tree has very interesting pale bark that tears off readily and is composed of thin paper-like sheets. Creamy white flower spikes in the form of a bottlebrush appear in summer and give the effect of snow on branches.
23. Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
~ 4010 Nelson Drive, corner of Parkside Drive
A small tree native to eastern Asia, it is noted for very showy 8–14” yellow flower clusters in summer. The flowers are followed by fat, papery fruit capsules that resemble little Japanese lanterns. The fruit capsules are red when young, change to buff and brown shades, and last well into fall.
24. Nepal Camphor (Cinnamomum glanduliferum)
~ 375 Parkside Drive, front yard
Native to the Himalayas, it is faster growing than its relative the more common Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora). It is also more upright in its branching habit and more sensitive to cold weather.
25. Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
~ 365 Parkside Drive, left of the driveway
Chinese Elms have easily recognized bark: brown and gray with orange patches in recently peeled areas. It is deciduous in its native habitat of China, Japan, and Korea. In this area it generally does not drop all its leaves in winter. This street has many examples of this graceful tree. Some varieties offer beautiful fall color, others are totally evergreen in our climate.
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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.
