Self-Guided Tree Walk: Greenmeadow

Tree Selection by Kevin Raftery, ISA certified arborist.
Updated by Jana Dilley and Marty Deggeller, summer 2003
Additional information gathered by Susan Rosenberg from Sunset Western Garden Book; The Folklore of Trees and Shrubs; and Red Oaks & Black Birches.

Download this Tree Walk (PDF Version)

The Greenmeadow Tree Walk begins at the end of Greenmeadow Way next to the Greenmeadow Community Center.

1. European Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
~ 244 Greenmeadow Way, right of garage
One of the earliest imported tree species established in the American colonies. The wood is used for timber. Beechnuts are used as stock feed in Europe, and oil can be extracted from them (as was done in Germany during both World Wars.)

2. Jelecote Pine (Pinus patula)
~ 224 Greenmeadow Way, 2 trees right of house along fence
One of the fastest growing pines in the world, it can reach up to 80 feet. Provides light shade.

3. Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
~ 230 Parkside Drive, right of front door
Can be grown successfully in California if given shelter from hot, dry, or constant winds. Filtered shade is best. Give same water treatment as azaleas – flood occasionally if salt accumulation is a problem. Many grafted cultivars are available.

4. Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum)
~ 4039 Scripps Avenue, front yard
A native of China and Japan, this tree is valued in California for several reasons: it is quite drought-tolerant, it can be planted as a garden specimen or a street tree, and it exhibits beautiful fall color. The waxy coat on the seeds is extracted by the Chinese for use in candles and soap.

5. California Pepper Tree (Schinus molle)
~ 4075 Scripps Avenue, right of driveway
There’s room for argument when it comes to this tree; some gardeners object to their messy litter, scale infestations, and greedy surface roots yet there are many who consider them one of California’s more strikingly handsome trees. They are a wonderful tree for an informal lounging area. Native to Peru, Chile, and Bolivia.

6. Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)
~ 4087 Scripps Avenue, front yard
A deciduous oak with moderate to fairly rapid growth to 50 to 80 feet. This oak prefers a well watered site; it is fine for lawns.

7a. Bronze loquat (Eriobotrya deflexa)
~ 251 Scripps Court, left side of property along fence
This plant is often shrubby but can be easily trained into small tree form. Good formal screen.

7b. Fern Pine (Afrocarpus elongatus)
~ 251 Scripps Court, right front corner of house
Native to Eastern Africa but well-adapted to California. Depending on the type of pruning this plant receives it can be used as a street or lawn tree, a hedge, big shrub or container plant. It can also be espaliered or grown as a vine along a fence.

7c. Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)
~ 251 Scripps Court, right of house behind fern pine
Jacaranda is a flamboyant Brazilian cousin of Catalpa. It is a showy tree in flower even by tropical standards. Its ferny leaves are deciduous and its habit horizontal, making it a first-class shade tree. Blooms June to September, then loses its leaves March and April.

7d. Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin)
~ 251 Scripps Court, left of driveway
Also known as the mimosa tree but unlike the true mimosa this tree does not fold up its leaves when touched. Develops spreading, flattened crown.

8. Victorian Box (Pittosporum undulatum)
~ 264 Scripps Court, right of house behind fence
This tree makes a dense single or multi-trunked dome-shaped tree of grace and beauty. Fragrant February to April.

9. Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
~ 4038 Ben Lomond Drive, front yard, right of driveway
Pacific Coast native from California to Alaska. Bright yellow fall color.

10. Cork Oak (Quercus suber)
~ 4043 Ben Lomond Drive, front yard
The trunk and main limbs are covered with thick, corky bark that in its native Mediterranean is used to stopper wine and olive oil bottles. This tree prefers good drainage.

11. Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthefolius)
~ 4073 Ben Lomond Drive, left side along fence
This differs from the California pepper tree in several ways. The leaves are a darker green and coarser and it has bright red berries that are very showy in winter.

12. Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
~ 4070 Ben Lomond Drive, front of house, right side
A handsome, adaptable evergreen with beautiful small bell-shaped flowers and a strawberry-like fruit that attracts birds. Native to Ireland and the Mediterranean.

13. Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus)
~ 4081 Ben Lomond Drive, right side behind fence
This is a spectacular tree with its soft, fleecy, snow-like blooms that come out in the spring.

14. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
~ 4089 Ben Lomond Drive, left of house, part of hedge
The name comes from the tulip-shaped flowers that come in late spring. This is a native of the Eastern U.S.

15a. Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica)
~ 4108 Briarwood Way, right of driveway
Native to North Africa. Grows to 60 feet or taller. Branches usually get too long and heavy on young trees unless tips are pinched out or cut back.

15b. Carob or St. John’s Bread (Ceratonia siliqua)
~ 4108 Briarwood Way, street trees along Ferne Ave.
Trying to stay away from chocolate? Pods from the female trees are milled to a fine powder and sold as a substitute for chocolate.

16. Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata)
~ 235 Ferne Avenue, far right
Native to the central California coast, this tree has a shallow root system and is subject to blowing over in wind. It also suffers from many pests and diseases.

17. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
~ 303 Ferne Avenue, left of front door
If you happen to like the fruit of this tree, thin the branches to allow light into the interior. If tree sets heavy fruit, remove some while it’s small to increase the size of remaining fruit and to prevent limbs from breaking.

18. Persian Parrotia (Parrotia persica)
~ 413 Ferne Avenue, left of driveway near house
The greatest charm of this tree is the glowing tints of gold and crimson in the fall. It is one of the most effective trees for autumn color. In the witch-hazel family.

19. Magnolia delavayi
~ 4159 Dake Avenue, left side of property
A native of China, the leaves of this magnolia are twice the size of the grandiflora. The creamy, white, 6 to 8 inch flowers are short lived—they shatter the same day they open. Beautiful gray-green evergreen foliage.

20. Soapbark Tree (Quillaja saponaria)
~ 318 Ferne Avenue, left of driveway and 323 Ferne Avenue, left of fire hydrant
The bark has soaplike or medicinal properties. Native to Chile. In the rose family.

21. Italian Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)
~ 4082 Nelson Drive, left side along fence
This classic cypress is the cypress of literature. The familiar sight of dark green cypress columns is the essence of the Mediterranean landscape.

22. Chanticleer 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 started the tradition of planting a tree to thank the outgoing mayor. This tree is an ornamental flowering pear native to China. It grows to 40 feet and has nice fall color. It blooms early in the spring, and then produces small, round, inedible fruit.

23. Holly Oak (Quercus ilex)
~ 377 Diablo Court, street tree right of driveway
This is a good evergreen tree. Where pests and disease make coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) difficult to grow, the holly oak does well. Native to the Mediterranean.

24. Nepal Camphor (Cinnamomum glanduliferum)
~ 355 Parkside Drive, either side of driveway
Tree native to the Himalayas. Faster growing than the more common camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), more upright in branching habit, and more sensitive to cold weather.

This publication was funded by the California ReLeaf 2003 Capacity-Building Grant Program and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.