COAST REDWOOD. Humboldt County.
"The sunshine penetrates the robf of green far above and illumines the aisles between the giant pillars,
imparting an effect of architectural grandeur. Redwood forests are the planet's vast cathedrals for the spirit
of worthip of its people." — Henry Fairfield Osborn.
CALIFORNIA
STATE BOARD OF FORESTRY
SHADE AND ORNAMENTAL TREES
OF CALIFORNIA
BY
MERRITT B. PRATT
State Forester
. 10 . aa
QK
TO THE MEMORY OF
G. MORRIS HOMANS
STATE FORESTER FROM MARCH, 1910, TO NOVEMBER, 1921
A PIONEER OF FORESTRY IN CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF FORESTRY
Dr. Geo. C. Pardee, Chairman . Oakland
R. E. Danaher ... . Camino
Col. Ed. Fletcher . San Diego
Merritt B. Pratt . Sacramento
Solon H. Williams Yreka
Office of State Forester
Merritt B. Pratt . . . State Forester
Solon H. Williams . . Deputy
Wm. B. Rider . Assistant
State Forest Nursery at Davis
Albert Aldinger Nurseryman in Charge
CONTENTS
Page
Preface :_ 13
Introduction 15
PART I
CONIFERS
Page
Araucarias — 17
California Nutmeg 19
Cedars. Cypresses and Sequoias 19
Cedrus 20
Thuya 22
Thuyopsis _. 23
Cupressus 23
Chamaecyparis 25
Libocedrus 26
Taxodium 27
Page
Sequoia 27
Juniperus 29
Cryptomeria 30
Douglas Fir 31
Firs 32
Ginkgo 1 33
Pines 34
Spruces 39
Yews 41
BROAD -LEAF TREES
Page
Acacias and False Acacias
Acacias 45
Alhizzia 47
Black Locust 47
Honey Locust- _ 48
Ashes 49
Birches 52
Bladder-nut 54
Bottle-brushes 54
Brisbane Box 55
California Laurel 55
Camphor 56
Cape Chestnut 57
Carob — 57
Casuarina .-- 58
Catalina Ironwood 58
Catalpa 59
Cherries and Plums 59
Clu>tmit 60
Copper Beech 62
Coral Tree 62
Crape Myrtle 63
Christmas Berry 63
Page
Dogwood 64
Elms 65
Empress Tree 68
Eucalyptus 68
Eugenia 72
Golden Chain 73
Hawthorn 74
Hickories 75
Hollies 77
Horse Chestnut 78
Hymenosporum 79
Jacaranda 80
Jerusalem Thorn 80
European Laurel 80
European Linden 81
Madrona 82
Magnolias 83
Maples 85
M-iyten 87
Mulberry 88
Oaks 89
Oleander 1 93
Olive , 94
BROAD-LEAF TREES— Continued
Page
Orchid Tree 94
Pagoda Tree 95
Pepper Tree 95
Pistache . 96
Pittosporums 96
Poplars 97
Privets 100
Red-bud 101
Rubber Trees _. . 101
Page
Silk Oak 102
Sterculias 103
Sycamores 103
Tamarisk 106
Tulip 106
Umbrella Tree 108
Walnuts 108
Willows.. . in
PALMS
Page
California Fan Palm 114
Canary Island Date Palm 114
Cocos Palms 114
Guadalupe Island Palm 115
Blue Palm-. .116
Page
Date Palm 116
Cape Palm 116
Wine Palm 117
Windmill Palm 117
Dragon Tree 117
PART II
Page
Tree Lists for Different Regions of
California —
Region I — Sacramento and San
Joaquin Valleys 120
Region II — Coastal 121
Pagt
Region III — Foothill 122
Region IV — Southern California 123
Alkali Resistant Trees 124
References 125
Index 127
ILLUSTRATIONS
Coast Redwood Frontispiece
Between
Pages
Eucalypts and Palms __ 58-59
Red Gum 60-61
Lemon-scented Gum 60-61
Lemon-scented Gum Trunk 62-63
Sugar Gum 62-63
Swamp Mahogany 66-67
Scarlet-flowering Gum_: 66-67
Blue Gum : 68-69
Empress Tree 68-69
Douglas Fir 70-71
Spanish Fir 70-71
White Fir 72-73
Xordman's Silver Fir 72-73
Flame Tree 72-73
Ginkgo 72-73
English Hawthorn 74-75
Paul's Double- flowering Haw-
^ thorn _ 74-75
Shagbark Hickory 76-77
1 lolly 76-77
Hymenosporum 78-79
Jacaranda 78-79
Japanese Pagoda Tree 82-83
Jerusalem Thorn 82-83
Juniper 84-85
European Laurel 84-85
European Linden 86-87
Black Locust 86-87
Honey Locust 88-89
Pink-flowering Locust 88-89
Madrona 88-89
Bull Bay Magnolia 88-89
Magnolia Blossom 90-91
Norway Alaple 90-91
Big-leaf Maple-. 92-93
Mayten 92-93
Red Mulberry--. 94-95
Weeping Mulberry 94-95
Cork Oak 1 98-99
Cork Oak Trunk 98-99
Bur Oak 100-101
California Live Oak 100-101
Hooker Oak 102-103
Plate
I. Black wood Acacia
Between
Pages
I8-I9
Plate
AA.
2. Weeping Myall
I8-I9
AC.
3. Bailey's Acacia
2O-2I
46
4. Acacia elata
2O- 2 1
47
5. Constantinople Acacia
22-2 \
18
6. Constantinople Acacia Blossoms
7. Monkey Puzzle .
22-23
24-2 S
49-
So.
8. Bunva-Bunya
2-1-2 £
Si
9. Chinese Arborvitae
24-2=;
52.
10. Giant Arborvitae
24- 2 ^
S3.
1 1. Arizona Ash
26-27
54-
12. Australian Brush Cherrv
26-27
55-
13. Bald Cvpress
28-29
56
14. She Oak
28-29
57-
15. White Birch
1O-1I
58.
16. Weeping Birch
3O-3I
59-
17. Victorian Bottle Tree
1.A- T.Z
60.
18. Brisbane Box
74-3:;
19. European Buckeye
^6-^7
61
20. European Buckeye Blossoms
21. Camphor Tree
36-37
18-30
62.
63
22. Carob
^8- TO
64
23. Island Ironwood
40-41
6s
24. Catalpa
40-41
66
25. Catalpa Blossoms
40-41
67
26. Incense Cedar
40-41
68.
27. Deodar Cedars
42-43
60.
28 Lebanon Cedar
42-43
70.
29 Catalina Cherry
/I/MS
71.
30 Italian Chestnut
/t 1-/IS
72.
31 Cape Chestnut
46-47
73-
32. Coral Tree
46-47
74-
n. Crane Myrtle
so- si
75-
^4 Crape Myrtle Blossoms
so- si
76
35 Guadalupe Cypress
S2-S3
77.
36 Italian Cypress
S2-S3
78
37 Italian Cvpress
54-^
70.
18 Monterey Cypress
CA-CC
80.
30 I awson Cypress
56-57
81
40 Japanese Cedar
c6-t;7
82.
41 American Elm
56- s 7
83
4^ Enrrlich Elm
S6-S7
81
AI Cnmncrdown Elm .
s8-so
8s.
ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued
Between
Plate Pages
86. Oleander 102-103
87. Orchid Tree 104-105
88. Orchid Tree Blossoms 104-105
89. Olives 104-105
90. California Pepper Tree 104-105
<)i. Brazilian Pepper Tree 106-107
92. Photinia 106-107
93. Italian Stone Pine 108-109
94. Pines of Monterey 108-109
95. Monterey Pine Trunk 110-111
96. Torrey Pine no-ui
.97. Torrey Pine Cones . 114-115
98. Coulter Pine 114-115
99. Aleppo Pine 116-117
100. Canary Island Pine 116-117
101. Weeping Pittosporum 118-119
102. Victorian Box 118-119
103. Purple-leaved Plum 120-121
104. London Plane :_ 120-121
105. California Sycamore 120-121
106. Carolina Poplar 120-121
107. Lombardy Poplars 122-123
108. Weeping Poplar 122-123
109. Red-bud 124-125
no. Red-bud Blossoms 124-125
in. Coast Redwood 126-127
Between
Plate Pates
112. Big Tree 126-127
113. Moreton Bay Fig 128-129
114. Moreton Bay Fig Trunk 128-129
115. Silk Oak 128-129
116. Silk Oak Blossoms 128-129
117. Colorado Blue Spruce 128-129
118. Norway Spruce 128-129
119. Tamarisk 128-129
120. Tulip Tree - 128-129
121. Tulip Tree Blossom 128-129
122. Umbrella Tree 128-129
123. California Black Walnut 128-129
124. California Black Walnuts ___ 128-129
125. Weeping Willows -. - 128-129
126. Irish Yews 128-129
127. Zelkova 128-129
128. Dragon Tree — 128-129
129. Blue Palm 128-129
130. Canary Island Palm 128-129
131. Cape Palm 128-129
132. Cocos Palms 128-129
133. Date Palms . 128-129
134. Guadalupe Palm 128-129
135. Windmill Palm 128-129
136. California Fan Palm 128-129
137. Torrey Pines 128-129
SALUTE TO THE TREES
HENRY VAN DYKE
Many a tree is found in the wood
And every tree for its use is good ;
Some for the strength of the gnarled root,
Some for the sweetness of flower or fruit ;
Some for shelter against the storm,
And some to keep the hearthstone warm;
Some for the roof and some for the beam,
And some for a boat to breast the stream —
In the wealth of the wood since the world began
The trees have offered their gifts to man.
But the glory of trees is more than their gifts:
'Ti?a beautiful wonder of life that lifts,
From a wrinkled seed in an earth-bound clod,
A column, an arch in the temple of God,
A pillar of power, a dome of delight,
A shrine of song, and a joy of sight!
• Their roots are the nurses of rivers in birth ;
Their leaves are alive with the breath of the earth ;
They shelter the dwellings of man; and they bend
O'er his grave with the look of a loving friend.
•
I have camped in the whispering forest of pines,
I have slept in the shadow of olives and vines;
In the knees of an oak, at the foot of a palm
I have found good rest and slumber's balm.
And now, when the morning gilds the boughs
Of the vaulted elm at the door of my house,
I open the window and make* salute:
"God bless thy branches and feed thy root!
Thou hast lived before, live after me,
Thou ancient, friendly, faithful tree."
From Scribner's Magazine; copyright, 1921, by Charles Scribner's Sons. By permission of the publishers.
PREFACE
The Economic value of good roads has far surpassed the claims of its early
protagonists twenty years since. The value of road improvement by means
of well-planted trees and shrubs, pleasing bridges, water outlets, stone records
and designs is just as great as the economic value — a doctrine which has been
steadily growing and is now gaining full assent.
Out-of-doors recreation is accepted as a necessary part of the life of a
Californian — as a vital element in bodily well-being, mental diversion and im-
aginative stimulus. Roads decorated with trees and shrubs, here revealing
continuous charms, on occasion curtaining an ugly spot, are in keeping with
the glory of the far-flung landscapes of California; barren or unsightly road-
ways would be paradoxical in a land of beauty.
While highways, to be sure, are of extreme importance to motorists, an
importance which' can scarcely be overestimated, highways are not merely for
motorists. Travelers from the East constantly comment upon a California
phenomenon never seen in Eastern cities — the long strings of men and girls
pouring out of our cities and towns on holidays, clad in hiking costumes and
filing along the roadways — for the roads lead to the trails and the trails to the
hills.
The work of our State Department of. Forestry in planting and decorating
the highways assumes, therefore, more than a special or group interest. While
such improvements increase the pleasure and contentment of the traveler and
add large economic values to the regions traversed by the roads, the work
serves an additional purpose in giving expression to the spirit of our people,
their feeling for the out-of-doors — for the hills, valleys and mountain ranges
of this state. For these roads will not merely carry the traffic load of trade,
binding city to city, but ably planned and adorned they will be silvan threads
worthy to join the wonderlands of California each to each and these in turn
with the centers of population. In this manner such work will give a visible
sign of the mental attitude and spirit of the Californians.
Willis Linn Jepson.
University of California, '
June 1 8, 1921.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this publication is to stimulate more widespread interest
in the planting of trees in California. There are thousands of miles of highway
in the state that should be beautified and shaded with suitable trees. Many
streets in our towns and cities as well as school and home grounds need trees
both for their beauty and shade. Californians have a wide range of trees
from which to choose, species coming from all parts of the world. No attempt
has been made to describe in the following pages all the shade and ornamental
trees grown in the state. The species described, however, are of sufficient
variety to answer most of the inquiries constantly being received regarding
the characteristics of trees which it is desired to plant.
Trees are something more than green things or mere firewood. They
have human aspects which the Greeks well knew when they made "the forest
rivers garrulous with babble of gods." From the far-off days when the
prophetess of ancient Israel "dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah," and
the people came up to her for judgment, trees have played an important part
in the history of nations. Their significance is thus expressed by Reginald
Wright Kauffman:
"Mankind has always regarded the tree as friendly and often as
divine. There was the mystic oak of the Druids; the sacred Bo-tree of
Buddah; the ash Yggdrasil of Norse mythology, whose roots were in
the underworld, but whose arms reached to the Asa-gods above the
skies. How large a part the tree has played in our own Holy Writ,
from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis to that Tree
upon which the Divine Sacrifice was consummated, I need not, surely,
remind you."
In our own history we have trees that have long been cherished as living
memorials of great deeds, such as the Charter Oak, and the Washington Elm.
Our forefathers did not neglect the improvement of their village and
home grounds, but planted trees, the stateliness of which now bears witness to
their foresight. New England is famous for its elm-bowered villages, and
New York and Ohio for their maple-shaded towns.
The early colonial traditions that prompted the planting of trees in the
Eastern States were largely lost in California during the "days of "49,"
although many of our mining towns have trees that were planted by the gold
seekers at that time. The unsettled conditions that prevailed, however, and
the undeveloped conditions with which the home-builder had to contend,
made tree planting a secondary consideration.
Now that the pioneering days are over and settled conditions prevail,
more and more interest is being taken in making community and rural life
more attractive. There can be no more pleasant surroundings than are
provided by trees. No man who has planted a tree and watched it grow can
fail to appreciate how responsive and grateful it is to human help. A seedling
placed in unused ground pays back a thousand fold in beauty, and in its
response to care. It talks of man's works to posterity as is so well stated by
Lucy Larcom :
"He who plants a tree
He plants love;
Tents of coolness spreading out above
Wayfarers he may not live to see."
CONIFERS
Conifers with the exception of larch, bald cypress and ginkgo retain
their leaves throughout the year and are commonly known as evergreens. It
is their evergreen habit and foliage of gray to dark green shades that gives
them their chief ornamental value. During the early period of their lives they
are conical in form with branches extending to the bases of the trees. In later
life they develop spreading crowns which surmount straight, cylindrical
trunks, and in old age they become rugged and picturesque in appearance.
On account of their shape and mode of growth, conifers are not as good
for streets as broad-leaved trees. Their best use is as specimens or groups to
accentuate an elevation, or define a boundary. When planted in masses they
serve to bring out the sky line more effectively than do broad-leaved trees.
They fit into country places when carefully selected and placed. On account
of their somber shades they should not be placed near houses, but rather
against a lively background such as would be provided by bright-foliaged
trees.
The large growing conifers should be planted where they can be seen at
some little distance and not be crowded in order to show them to their best
advantage in their entire form and outline. The smaller conifers can be
used to advantage to accentuate mass plantings and in formal gardens.
The value of conifers for decorative effect has been only recently recognized
in this country. Quick growing, short-lived material has been used with little
thought of the future. People are now waking up to the fact that nothing else
can give the solidity, strength and virility so noticeable in European gardens
where the use of conifers has predominated for centuries.
ARAUCARIAS
The Araucarias are magnificent trees with whorled branches and stiff
pointed leaves, which grow naturally in Brazil, Chile, Polynesia and Australia.
The name of the genus is derived from Arauco, the name of the district in
southern Chile where the tree was first discovered. Altogether there are about
a dozen species. Several species are widely planted in California and do well
2—11898 (17)
over a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. The araucarias are grown
on a large scale in nurseries in pots since the young trees are favorite house
decorations because of their novel appearance and ability to withstand hard
usage.
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE
The Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria excelsa), also known as "Star Pine,"
is a native of Norfolk Island and New Caledonia, and was discovered by
Captain Cook on one of his voyages. The tree reaches a height of 200 feet
and a diameter of nine to ten feet in its native habitat. Its branches ere ar-
ranged in regular whorls with intervals of bare stem separating each whorl.
The branches are horizontal and densely covered with light-green, awl-shaped
leaves. This tree has a distinctiveness of character and solemnity of out-
line which sets it apart from most trees.
MONKEY PUZZLE
The name of this peculiar tree, "Monkey Puzzle" (Araucaria imbricata),
was given it because of its twisted branches which it would puzzle, a monkey
to climb. It is a native of Chile where it forms forests on the Cordilleras.
The leaves, which are short, broad and triangular, overlap like shingles and
closely surround the trunk and branches. The cones, which are about eight
inches broad and seven inches long, do not appear until the tree is quite old.
This tree thrives well in a heavy, loamy soil, but should not be planted in an
exposed position since the branches are heavy and brittle and if broken by
the wind soon cause the tree to lose its symmetry of form. It is extensively
grown in the open in England and Ireland and is probably the hardiest of the
araucarias grown in this state.
BUNYA-BUNYA
The Bunya-bunya (Araucaria bidwillii) is a native of Queensland where
it reaches a height of 1 50 feet. The cones are as large as a man's head and bear
seed which are used for food by the natives. The leaves are flat, sharp and of
a glossy-green color. The lower branches on an old tree strike the ground
about ten feet from the trunk and then rise to a height of about three feet.
For this reason this tree as well as the other species of araucaria should be
planted with plenty of room for development.
(18)
Plate 1. BLACKWOOD ACACIA. Sacramento.
A symmetrical tree with light yellow flowers. The blossom of the wattle, one of the acacias, is the national
flower of Australia.
Plate 2. WEEPING MYALL. Santa Barbara.
An acacia whose chief ornamental value lies in its drooping foliage.
CALIFORNIA NUTMEG
California nutmeg (Torreya calif arnica), so called because of the re-
semblance of its fruit to nutmegs, is one of the most singular, as well as one
of the most handsome of California trees. It is found scattered along borders
of streams or in creek bottoms in the Coast Range and Sierra Nevadas, rarely
exceeding twenty feet in height. Some trees have been found in the Santa
Cruz Mountains, however, that are eighty-five feet high and two feet in
diameter.
This tree was discovered in about 1853 and specimens were sent to Dr.
John Torrey of Columbia College, who worked out its botanical characteristics.
It resembles the yew in its general appearance, but the leaves are rigid with
sharp points. They are of a shining green color, and give the impression of
having been glazed or varnished. The branches are spreading and are usually
whorled. California nutmegs are little known in cultivation. They are
mainly grown in botanic gardens because of their interesting characteristics of
leaf and fruit.
CEDARS, CYPRESSES AND SEQUOIAS
The cedars, cypresses and sequoias embrace several genera of trees that
are more or less botanically allied, and have much in common in form and
behavior. They are characterized by an upright habit of branching and a full
supply of foliage which makes them effective in formal planting and as speci-
men trees. They are usually adaptive to soil conditions and are easily handled.
The term "Cedar," which is derived from a word meaning "life from the
dead," is generally applied to a wide range of species belonging to different
genera. This is due perhaps to the association of the word with woods posess-
ing exceptional durability. The Egyptians used cedar oil for preserving
mummies, and the wood for mummy cases. Carved figures of cedar wood
several thousands of years old can be seen in our museums of today. In the
United States, southern red cedar, incense cedar, Port Orford cedar, western
red cedar and cypress are genera which have species commonly known as
"cedar."
The durability of cedar was well known to Oliver Wendell Holmes who
says:
"* * * the fair cedar, fallen before the breeze,
Lies self-embalmed amidst the mouldering trees."
(19)
CEDRUS
The true cedars belong to the genus Cedrus, which grows naturally in
Africa, Asia Minor and India, and embraces only three species. There are no
true cedars native to this country, in spite of the fact that we give the name to
several of our trees. Like our so-called cedars, the true cedars are valuable
timber trees in their native habitats. They also have high ornamental value
and are extensively planted on lawns and avenues in this state. They are
long-lived trees of commanding appearance. In deep, well-drained, gravelly-
loam they make rapid growth reaching an average height of from eighty to
i oo feet. The cones are borne erect and are very striking.
Cedar of Lebanon
Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is native only to certain restricted areas
in Asia Minor and North Africa. It was one of the principal woods used in
the construction of King Solomon's temple, and frequent references are made
to it in the Bible as a symbol of power, prosperity and longevity. The follow-
ing passage is found in the book of Ezekiel :
"Behold the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches,
and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature ; and his top was
among the thick boughs. * * * Therefore his height was exalted
above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his
branches became long because of the multitude of waters."
Mount Lebanon, on which this cedar grows at an elevation of 6,000
feet, is covered with snow during the greater part of the year, but on August
fifth, the eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration, the people in the surrounding
villages visit the mountain and there celebrate the "Feast of Cedars." The
400 cedars that are the remnant of the forest that furnished the timber for
the temple at Jerusalem are now enclosed by a high stone wall and protected
by the Maronite monks. They are upwards of 2000 years old. The best
preserved trees are about 100 feet high and one has a circumference of forty-
seven feet.
The most striking characteristics of the cedar of Lebanon are its broad
spreading habit and broad, flat head of bright, bluish-green foliage. It seldom
reaches over eighty feet in height, but its horizontal branches, which spread
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Plate 4. ACACIA ELATA. Los Angeles.
"But he only heard the gentle sigh
Of the summer breeze
So softly passing by
The acacia trees."
— Procter.
from thirty to fifty feet on all sides, give it a massive and picturesque ap-
pearance. Its appearance harmonizes with the lines of classical buildings,
which has led artists to show it in pictures of terrace gardens of Babylon and
Nineveh.
Mount Atlas Cedar
The Mount Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica} is a native of North Africa.
It is probable that some of these cedars were sent by Hiram, King of Tyre,
to Jerusalem, at the time King Solomon's temple was under construction.
The appearance of this tree is similar to that of the Cedar of Lebanon except
that it is more pyramidal in habit and the needles are a yellower shade of green.
A variety of this cedar (Cedrus atlantica glauca) has silvery leaves which makes
a striking contrast to the dark-green foliage of trees among which it may be
planted. The Mount Atlas cedar is extremely hardy, and is one of the most
beautiful ornamental trees that we have.
Deodar, Indian Cedar
The deodar (£edrus deodara), called the "God-tree" of the Himalayas,
forms forests in India at elevations ranging from 5500 to 12,000 feet. Here
it reaches a height of 1 50 feet and a diameter of six to eight feet under favor-
able conditions. When young it is a graceful pyramidal tree with pendulous
branch-tips densely set with long dark bluish-green needles. The character
of the foliage does not change as the tree matures, but the limbs become
wide-spreading and stately. The striking deodars on the Capitol grounds at
Sacramento command the attention of visitors, and are known throughout
the country.
The beauty and effectiveness of the deodar as a road and avenue tree
is beginning to be recognized. A drive at Kearney Park near Fresno is lined
with these trees. Unfortunately the trees were spaced too close together
which will make it necessary to take out every other tree in a few years to give
room for development for the remaining trees. The tree does not tolerate freez-
ing, but was noted in good growth from San Diego to Ukiah and Chico, which
indicates that it can be planted through considerable range in the state.
(21)
THUYA
The arborvitae belong to the genus Thuya, a word derived from the
Greek signifying sacrifice, probably because the resin procured from the tree
was used as incense. The Latin meaning of aborvitae is "Tree of Life," which
signifies the reverence which prompted the name.
Arborvitae embraces four species which are confined to northeastern and
southeastern America, Japan and Northern China. Two species are native
to America, one being the white cedar of the northeastern United States, and
the other, western red cedar, sometimes called the giant arborvitae or gigantic
cedar.
Arborvitae are tall and symmetrical in their native state with a formal,
conical habit. The branches are spreading with flattened branchlets covered
with leaves overlapping like scales. Many' garden forms have been developed
which offer considerable variety of color and texture which are desirable
features among evergreen foliage plants. They make beautiful lawn speci-
mens, and are particularly effective near the border of water. Some varieties
are well adapted for hedges since they bear pruning well. They are easily
transplanted, are adaptable to a variety of soils and grow rapidly.
Giant Arborvitae
Giant arborvitae (Thuya gigantea), attains magnificent proportions in
its native habitat on fertile bottom lands near Puget Sound and Vancouver
Island where specimens 200 feet high and fifteen or sixteen feet in diameter
have been found. From this tree the Indians have carved most of their mas-
sive totem poles some of which are fifty feet in height. These poles are strik-
ingly colored and skilfully hewed into grotesque figures of men and beasts.
The Indians also made war canoes from a single cedar log which were often
sixty feet or more in length, eight feet across at the widest point, and capable
of carrying a load upward of thirty tons.
Giant arborvitae does well under cultivation. It retains living branches
almost to the ground, forming a stately and symmetrical spire of green. Young
trees have slender, upcurving limbs, but as the tree increases in age it gradually
develops a rounded top. The trunk is tapering with a fluted base on which the
grayish-brown bark is separated into narrow strips by seams which extend
irregularly the length of the trunk. It is without doubt one of our most hand-
some native trees.
(22)
Chinese Arborvitae
The Chinese arborvitae (Thuya orientalis) has a dwarf habit and slow
growth. It is almost globular in outline with bright green foliage which be-
comes gold_en or bronze tinted during the winter. A number of other varie-
gated forms of arborvitae are handled by nurserymen, all of which have high
decorative value.
THUYOPSIS
Japanese arborvitae (Thuyopsis dolobrata) is closely related to the genus
Thuya, from which it is chiefly distinguished by its greater breadth and bold-
ness of foliage, and by the white splashes on the under side of the leaves. In
Japan it grows in moist, dense forests, under the shade of other trees. It is a
beautiful conifer of pyramidal shape with the branchlets arranged in fan
shape, much flattened and clothed with scale-like, glossy green foliage. It
thrives best in a sheltered position in moist loamy soil, and is well adapted as
a single specimen on a lawn. It grows better from cuttings than from seed.
CUPRESSUS
The cypress (Cupressm) was much admired by the ancients, and it was
probably because of its reputation that the Island of Cyprus was so named.
There is a myth to the effect that a youth named Cuparissos, a companion of
Apollo, the Grecian divinity, was turned into a cypress tree upon his death,
and that this tree was given the special function of shading the graves of those
who have been greatly beloved in life. Mythology relates that the goddess
Venus never appeared in the annual processions of Pan-Athenaic fame with-
out a cypress bough made manifest in her retinue, a symbol expressive of her
grief upon the death of Adonis.
Horace writes that whatever was thought worthy to be handed down
to posterity by the ancients was enclosed in cypress or cedar wood. The
Biblical ark, "pitched within and without," was made of gopher wood, which is
supposed to have been that of the Italian cypress. Herodotus tells us that the
Egyptians used cypress for their mummy cases. Plato directed that his code
of laws should be engraved on cypress wood, as being more durable than
brass.
The customs and languages of the ages have made cypress a symbol of
bodily death and spiritual immortality. Its evergreen character, monumental
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outline, and balsamic odor, have no doubt contributed to the symbolism
which Spencer summed up by describing it as "the Cypresse funerall."
Cypress is an extremely long-lived tree. Two cypresses planted by
Michael Angelo are still living in Rome. In Lombardy is a cypress tree
supposed to have been planted in the year of the birth of Christ. It is over 1 20
feet in height, and twenty-three feet in circumference. In addition to the
interest which arises from its great age and size, this tree has the distinction
of being wounded by Francis I, who is said to have stuck his sword into it
in despair after his defeat at Pavia. It is said that Napoleon so respected this
tree that he deflected his road over the Simplort in order to avoid injuring it.
The cypresses are tall or medium-sized trees with erect growth as a rule.
The cones are globular in shape and when mature are about an inch in diame-
ter The branches subdivide to form flat sprays which are closely covered
with small overlapping leaves in four rows There is a curious Mohammedan
superstition, existent among the natives of Ceylon, that he who eats a cypress
leaf when it chances to fall to the ground, has his youth restored to him.
Whittier depicts venerable saints as sitting patiently under the cypress trees
of Ceylon waiting the falling of this much prized leaf.
Monterey Cypress
Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) grows naturally only in a
restricted locality near Monterey Bay on the California coast. It is widely
planted throughout the state, its dense foliage making it especially valuable
for windbreaks and hedges.
Italian Cypress
The Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is a tapering, cone-like tree
with a short stem below its branches, which gives it much the appearance of
Lombardy poplar. Mature trees reach a height of about seventy-five feet. Its
columnar form gives it a formal effect which is much used in gardens and for
architectural effect. It makes splendid avenues like those of the beautiful
villas in Italy, but will lose its character if planted in rich soil and with plenty
of moisture. In such cases its lateral branches spread out under the over-
weight of foliage.
The Italian cypress is very successful in architectural schemes as evi-
denced by its use at the Villa Borghese in Rome. Professor Neuhaus states
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Plate 7. MONKEY PUZZLE. Sacramento.
A native of Chile, where it forms forests on the Cordilleras. It gets its name from its twisted branches which it
would puzzle a monkey to climb.
Plate 8. BUNYA-BUNYA. Sacramento.
A native of Queensland, where it reaches a height of 150 feet. The cones are as large as a man's head and bear
seed which are used for food by the natives.
Plate 10. GIANT ARBORVITAE. Sacramento.
"And here's a lilt to the cedars,
Sturdy of frame and mien.
Where the lordly oak-tree's pride is fled;
And he stares as a Gorgon, stark and dead,
There be the cedars green."
—William Frederick Held.
that the effectiveness of the Court of Palms at the Panama Pacific Exposition
was largely due to the liberal use of these elegant trees with their somber
stateliness.
Guadalupe Cypress
The Guadalupe or blue cypress (Cupressus guadalupensis) does not seem
to be as short-lived as the Monterey cypress. It is about seventy feet in height,
and has a striking blue color to the foliage. It does well on dry, rocky loca-
tions similar to its native habitat on Guadalupe Island.
Arizona Cypress
The Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) from the mountains of northern
Arizona has a handsome, brilliant blue foliage. It does not attain the height
of the Guadalupe cypress, but will stand more cold and drought.
CHAMAECYPARIS
The genus Chamaecyparis is closely related to Cupressus, and for purposes
of distinction its members may be called the "flat-branched cypresses," since
the branchlets are always arranged so as to lie in a plane. The branchlets are
drooping and feathery in appearance.
The genus embraces five species, one of which is found in eastern United
States, two on the Pacific Coast and two in Japan. The Japanese have prop-
agated several nursery varieties some of them being dwarf-like in habit.
The species which grow on the Pacific Coast in this country reach a height
of 200 feet or more and are valuable lumber trees. The name Retinospora is
applied to some Japanese species of this genus with juvenile foliage retained
by artificial methods of propagation.
Lawson's Cypress
Lawson's cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) the garden term for the
forest tree known to lumbermen as Port Orford cedar, grows naturally in
restricted areas in Oregon and California. It was introduced into cultivation
shortly after its discovery in 1854. As an ornamental tree it has a striking
appearance because of its horizontally spreading pendulous branches, and
flat compressed foliage. The lowest branches usually persist and spread widely
so that the pyramid rests directly on the ground. On account of its broad
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base, this tree should not be planted closer than forty feet to other trees.
It is not well adapted for parkings, but makes a beautiful lawn specimen.
Lawson's cypress is prized by nurserymen, who have developed at least
sixty forms in color and habit from it. One of the most striking is the Golden
Lawson cypress, the young growth of which has intensely yellow foliage. Other
forms have foliage of rich green or a bluish metallic hue. The Japanese forms
are usually shrubs or very small trees. The Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis
obtusa) is a favorite Japanese dwarf tree.
LIBOCEDRUS
The genus Libocedrus embraces eight species, one of which is found on
the Pacific Coast in this country, two in Chile and five in the region from
southwestern China to New Zealand. The trees are large with pyramidal
habit, and graceful emerald foliage. In many ways they resemble Lawson's
cypress except that the pendent character of the tips of the branches is dis-
tinctive. They thrive best in well drained soil, but are hardy and withstand
considerable drought when once established.
Incense Cedar
Incense cedar (Libocedrus decurrens) occurs naturally chiefly in the
Sierras of California where it is found growing at elevations ranging from 2000
to 5000 feet in the north and from 3000 to 7000 feet in the south. The average
height is from seventy-five to 1 10 feet and the average diameter from thirty
to forty inches. The largest trees are 1 50 feet in height and ninety-six inches
in diameter.
Incense cedar was first observed by Fremont on the south fork of the
American River while on his record expedition in 1844. It is widely planted
as an ornamental and forms a beautiful specimen with its abundant semi-
drooping foliage and columnar habit. It is not greatly disfigured by the
removal of the lower branches as is the case with so many conifers. As a
rule, however, it is not advisable to remove the limbs of a conifer used as a
specimen tree since this practice is apt to mar its beauty.
(26)
Plate 11. ARIZONA ASH. Los Angeles.
A tree that is destined to be widely planted in California along roads and highways because of its ability to do
well under adverse conditions of soil and moisture.
Plate 12. AUSTRALIAN BRUSH CHERRY. Pasadena.
An Australian tree with myrtle-like foliage and blossoms which is widely used by landscape gardeners.
BALD CYPRESS
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), which traces its descent from a very
ancient family, is one of the few coniferous trees that sheds its leaves in winter.
This habit' -of becoming "bald" in winter gave rise to its first name. The
genus embraces three species, two in North America and one in China. In
this country the bald cypress which grows naturally in the swamps of the
South Atlantic and Gulf regions is the only one that has a commercial value.
It is one of the very few species of trees that will adapt itself to extremes of
moisture in the soil.
In its native habitat bald cypress reaches a height of 150 feet and a
diameter of four or five feet. The lower part of the trunk bears huge but-
tresses, each of which ends in a long branching root from the branches of which
spring knees which rise above the level of the water. The knees are of a soft
spongy texture, and it is supposed that they act as breathing organs, supply-
ing the roots with air which they would otherwise be unable to obtain when
submerged.
Bald cypress has stout horizontally spreading branches and leaves some-
what like those of the redwood. The light green feathery foliage gives the
tree a most graceful appearance. Under cultivation the knees are usually
absent. This tree does not stand intense cold, but is adaptive to many soil
conditions, and grows rapidly, even in a dry soil. Splendid specimens of this
tree are to be found in Berkeley.
Of the two related species of bald cypress, one is a shrub native to China,
the other a large tree found in Mexico called the "Cypress of Montezuma" or
"Evergreen cypress" because of the fact that it retains its leaves throughout
the year. This tree was reverenced by the Indians long before the discovery
of America. It is widely planted in parks in Santa Barbara and has a striking
individuality because of its distinctive color and form.
. SEQUOIA
The genus Sequoia embraces two giant species which are the most magnifi-
cent trees in the world, and which justly rank with its natural wonders. The
term Sequoia is in honor of an Indian Chief named Sequoyah, the inventor of
the Cherokee alphabet. This genus together with closely related groups
once spread over the entire northern hemisphere. Fossil remains have been
(27)
found in Europe, Spitzbergen, Siberia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland.
Sequoia flourished millions of years ago when the dinosaurs were the most ad-
vanced form of land animals, and before the rocks that constitute the present
Sierras and Coast Ranges in California were laid down in the shallow seas,
to be later upheaved and carved to their present shapes. Today only two
kinds of Sequoias are in existence and their nearest living relative is the bald
cypress of the Southern States. They are the oldest living thing on earth,
and have probably never been surpassed by any trees in the ages gone by in
size, height or grandeur.
Redwood
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) the "Palo Colorado" of the Spanish-
Americans, is found in its natural state only on a strip 450 miles long and
twenty miles wide, extending from southwestern Oregon to Monterey County
in California where it was first discovered in 1791.
John Muir speaks of the redwood as the glory of the Coast Range. Trees
from 300 to 350 feet in height and ten to twenty feet in diameter are not
uncommon and their graceful beauty is enhanced by the garden at their feet
of fresh, exuberant ferns, lilies and rhododendron. The age is about half
that of its cousin in the Sierras, running from 500 to 1 300 years.
Redwood has bright, deep green foliage which consists of two forms of
leaves, one of them narrow and flattened with stiff, sharp points and the
other scale-like and closely overlapping. The young tree forms an attractive
pyramid of dense foliage which becomes conical in appearance as the tree
matures. Redwood requires a cool, humid atmosphere for its best develop-
ment. It has been successfully planted in many parts of the state as avenue
and specimen trees.
Big Tree
Big tree (Sequoia gigantea) is found only on the western slope of the Sierra
Nevadas in California at an altitude of from five to eight thousand feet above
the sea, with a north and south range of about 250 miles. It occurs in thirty-
two more or less isolated groves, one of the best known being the Calaveras
Grove. It is said that the big tree was first discovered in this grove in 1852
by a hunter in the pursuit of a bear.
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Plate 13. BALD CYPRESS. Exeter.
A tree that traces its descent from a very ancient family. Its habit of becoming "bald" in the winter, through
shedding its needles, gives rise to its first name.
- Plate 14. SHE OAK. San Diego.
An Australian drought-resisting tree with branches jointed like those of the equisetums. They resemble the feathers
of the cassowary, a large bird of the East Indies.
Big tree is the largest tree in the world. The General Sherman Tree is
280 feet high with a diameter of thirty-six and one-half feet. The General
Grant Tree is 264 feet high with a diameter of thirty-one feet. The known
ages of trees which have been cut is from 1 100 to 3250 years, but it is prob-
able that some of the largest standing trees may be of greater age.
Big tree has been widely planted and does well in deep, rich soils. It has
a straight trunk with thick branches which at first are ascending, but later
curve downwards. The light green leaves are spirally arranged around the
branches. It makes a handsome lawn specimen, but should be given plenty
of room to develop a regular, conical outline
JUNIPERUS
The junipers (Juniperus) are widely scattered over the northern hemis-
phere extending as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as the moun-
tains of east tropical Africa and central China. This genus embraces about
thirty-five species, eleven of which grow naturally in the United States. The
best known is the southern red cedar (Juniperusvirginiana), an eastern species
which furnishes most of the pencil wood.
Junipers are small trees or shrubs of pyramidal or columnar form and as
a rule have two kinds of foliage which are often found on the same tree. Cne
form of leaves are needle-like and prickly, while the other form are scale-
like, overlapping and arranged like those of the cypresses. The origin of the
name of Juniper is to be traced to the Latin words juvenis (young) and the
verb par ere (to produce). It was probably so named on account of its habit
of producing the two entirely different looking set of leaves. The junipers differ
from most of the conifers in bearing small berry-like fruits instead of cones.
The fruit of the juniper is used to give gin its flavor.
The juniper has its accompaniment of myths and legends. It was con-
secrated to the Furies, the smoke of its green branches being the incense
offered to the Infernal Gods, while its berries were burnt at funerals to keep off
evil spirits.
In the Bible much is written about the juniper in the wilderness where it
conferred the blessings of both shade and food to many a weary traveler. Job
pictures such a one who made a meal off the fruit of a juniper bush under
which he rested. On the other hand, Dr. Johnson, the renowned lexicographer,
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stated that its taste was bitter and its shade had a baleful influence on man
and beast. We can find no basis for these assumptions, and accept the juniper
as a tree of graceful beauty in our lawns and gardens.
. The junipers are adaptive to adverse soil and atmospheric conditions and
will thrive on rocky hillsides or along the seashore where living conditions are
harsh. Their growth is slow, and they are less symmetrical than most conifers,
but their hardiness and freedom from pests make them valuable trees on arid
locations. Of the exotic species cultivated in California the most common
are the European and Japanese forms.
California Juniper
The California juniper (Juniperus californica) is a small tree of spreading
habit which grows naturally in dry situations. The foliage, which is a deep
rich green, is borne on a broad open head. It is not commonly cultivated by
nurseries, but small transplanted trees should do well because of the ability
of the tree to resist adverse soil and moisture conditions.
Creeping Japanese Juniper
The creeping Japanese juniper (Juniperus chinensis procumbens) is a dense,
dwarf shrub with trailing branches and glaucous foliage. It is well adapted
for rock gardens, or for forming groundwork for hiding bare ground under
large trees.
CRYPTOMERIA
Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) claims a Greek origin for its
generic name. The Greek word, kryptos, signifies hidden, and the word
meros, part, and it is supposed that this tree was so christened on account
of a hidden relationship with the cedar. It differs from the cedar, however,
in many respects. It has long, awl-shaped leaves and loose, open branches
which ascend at the extremities. The bark, which is cinnamon colored, peels
readily from the larger trees. It is a large pyramidal tree at maturity with a
distinguished appearance, which is probably the reason it is called "Peacock
Pine" by the Chinese. There is a variety known as elegans which has very
fine and feathery foliage which changes from a rich green in summer to a
bronzy red in winter.
(30)
Plate 15. WHITE BIRCH. Golden Gate Park.
"The birch, most shy and ladylike of trees."
— Lowell.
Plate 16. WEEPING BIRCH. San Jose.
"While o'er our heads the weeping birch tree streamed
Its branches, circling like a fountain shower. '
— "Isle of Palms.
An interesting feature of this tree, which is the national tree of Japan, is
its antiquity. Its lineage, like that of our Sequoias, can be traced to a very
remote geological period In Japan it forms extensive forests towering above
undergrowing ferns, mosses, and lichens as do our redwoods.
DOUGLAS FIR
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) derives its formidable generic name,
which means "false hemlock," from a combination of a Greek with a Japanese
word. The name indicates its relation with the hemlocks, but it has botanical
differences which caused it to be classified as a distinct genus. This tree goes
under the name of red fir, Oregon pine, and Douglas spruce, but the commonly
accepted name among foresters is Douglas fir. It was collected in 1826 by
David Douglas, a Scottish botanist who was sent to the United States as a
collector by the Royal Horticultural Society. Few men are commemorated
by a more impressive monument since Douglas fir is one of the most im-
portant timber trees in the world. It grows throughout the Pacific Coast
region and the Rocky Mountains from British Columbia to northwestern
Texas, Mexico and the mountains of California, a range of over 2000 miles
from north to south and nearly 1000 miles from east to west.
With the exception of redwood, no other tree of our continent attains
larger size. The tallest Douglas fir on record has a height of 380 feet. Trees
fifteen feet in diameter are not uncommon and single trees have been cut that
scaled 60,000 feet, board measure. On the lowlands of the north Pacific Coast
the trees stand close together, with trunks forming cylindrical columns as
straight as arrows and almost without branches for 200 feet. A flagstaff now
in the Kew Gardens in England came from a tree felled in British Columbia.
It is 159 feet long and tapers from a diameter of twenty-two inches to one of
eight inches.
Douglas fir is readily distinguished from all other native cone-bearing
trees by the feathered appearance of the cones which is due to flexible bracts
that extend beyond the cone scales. The leaves are blunt at the point and soft
and flat with tiny stems which permit them to arrange themselves, feather
like, on opposite sides of the branches. In reality they are spaced all the way
around the branch, and the successive leaves form spirals.
(31 )
When Douglas fir is planted as an ornamental the growth is erect and
very rapid. It has graceful proportions and a rich, dark green foliage which
has a feathery appearance on the pendulous branchlets. The pendent cones
add to its beauty. It is adaptive to soils, but prefers lighter ones. To empha-
size its beauty it is best planted as a single tree.
FIRS
The true firs (Abies) embrace some twenty-three species which chiefly
occur in the mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere. That fir has
a place in history is revealed by Virgil's description of the wooden horse of
Troy which was constructed from fir from Mount Ida:
"The leaders of the Greeks * * * build, with the aid of the
divine skill of Pallas, a horse as huge as a mountain, and form the
sides of interlacing planks of fir."
In these days fir is not highly regarded as a timber tree on the Pacific
Coast where about a third of all known species are native, but it has a high
value as an ornamental tree. The firs are distinguished for their symmetry
and formal branch habit. The branches are arranged in tiers, and by side
branching form wide, flat sprays, covered with blunt-pointed, flat leaves, the
under sides of which are a silvery-white. The needles are stemless, and the
cones, which are erect, fall to pieces at maturity, leaving a slender, woody axis
on the tree.
The firs endure much shade, and make a rapid growth in a cool, moist
atmosphere and on a well-drained soil. They are rather short-lived and are
apt to suffer from drought, frost and fungi.
WHITE FIR
White fir (Abies concolor) also known as silver fir, is a beautiful tree that
is common in the Sierra region of California. It has long, slender, light-green
needles which form a decided contrast with its ashy-gray bark. The growth
is very regular and symmetrical, which makes the tree effective whether in
groups or singly in the park or lawn.
NORDMAN'S SILVER FIR
Nordman's silver fir (Abies nordmanniana) is a native of the Caucasus
Mountains, where it attains a height of 1 50 feet. Under cultivation it grows
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slowly but eventually becomes a large tree. The branches are wide spreading
and the foliage rich and lustrous, dark-green above and silvery underneath.
This is one of the best firs for ornamental purposes, since it is hardy and
retains its fine form for a long period.
SPANISH FIR
Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo) is a small tree which is of interest because
of its rigid, acute leaves which entirely surround the branchlets. It is planted
chiefly as a specimen tree, and is best adapted to a warm climate.
SILVER FIR
The European silver fir (Abies pectinata) reaches a height of 150 feet in its
native haunts. It .towers far above its companions of the woodlands, which
led Hood to say :
"I remember, I remember,
The fir trees tall and high,
I used to think their slender spires
Were close against the sky."
This silver fir does well in California, particularly in Berkeley, where it
forms a dignified ornamental tree. It resembles Nordman's fir except that it
has shorter leaves and usually more open growth. The needles are dark, glossy
green above and silvery beneath.
GINKGO
The ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) often called the maidenhair tree because of
the resemblance of its foliage to that of the maidenhair fern, is a native of
China and Japan. The ginkgo was introduced into this country not many
years ago from England. It is a remnant of a widely represented genus of
ancient times, and has -been preserved for ages about the temples of the
Orient.
There is a ginkgo standing .in a courtyard of a monastery in the vicinity
of Peking which is said to have been planted by Emperor Yung Lo (1360-
1424). The Chinese name, Pai-kuo-shu (white-fruited tree) is derived from
the appearance of the fruit.
The tree is a botanical curiosity, for although it is classed with the cone-
bearing trees, it bears fleshy fruit instead of cones and broad, fan-shaped
3—11898 (33)
deciduous leaves instead of needles.^The flower largely determines its position
in botanical classification, the staminate and the pistillate flowers being borne
on different branches of the same tree. The female flowers consist of two
naked ovules which receive the pollen. These ripen into the fruit of the
ginkgo, which resembles a small plum. The fleshy part is ill-scented, but the
kernels, which have a sweetish flavor, are highly esteemed for food and for their
medicinal value by the Chinese.
The ginkgo is a picturesque tree, due to its straggling branch habit and
irregular, open, conical form. It seldom exceeds a height of sixty feet in the
Orient and in this country its maximum height is about forty feet. It is
becoming a favorite tree for street planting because of its upright habit,
attractive foliage and apparent immunity from insect injury. The leaves
are clear green in the spring and early summer, changing in .the fall to a soft
yellow shortly before defoliation.
Exquisite landscape effects may be obtained by planting the ginkgo in
lawns and parks, especially where it is massed with deciduous trees and
shrubs with leathery, dark green foliage. It is also a good street tree and in
Washington, D. C., lines an avenue leading to the Agriculture Building.
PINES
The Greeks dedicated the pine to Bacchus, and its cone, the symbol
of fecundity, decorated that god's thyrsus. Its evergreen character is ac-
counted for by an ancient legend. Atys, a Phrygian shepherd, loved Cybele,
the mother of the gods, and vowed to be ever faithful to her. He broke his
vow, and she in anger changed him into a pine tree beneath which she spent
her time mourning. Jupiter sought to comfort her by promising that the pine
should never be bereft of its leaves.
The pine has been termed the Aeolian harp of the forest. Richard Jeffries
describes its music which forever floats upon the breeze as follows:
"Over in the field the row of pines was sighing; the wind lingered
and clung to the close foliage, and each needle of the million million
leaflets drew its tongue across the organ blast."
The pines embrace about seventy species and its members excel all other
cone-bearing trees in the extent of area occupied, and in usefulness and im-
portance to the human race. Some species are found on dry soils, and some in
(34)
Plate 17. VICTORIAN BOTTLE TREE. Pasadena.
An Australian tree with a peculiar pyramidal trunk growth and bright glossy leaves of many different shapes.
Plate 18. BRISBANE BOX. Berkeley.
An Australian tree that is widely used in New South Wales on city boulevards. It has broad shining leaves and
white, star-shaped flowers.
swamps, with representatives ranging almost to the Arctic and to near the
equator. Some of the pines are tall, like the Norwegian pines which Milton
refers to as mere wands compared to the spear which Satan used "to support
uneasy steps over the burning marl," and some are mere shrubs at timber
line.
The pines are closely associated with the development of this country.
When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth they beheld the white pine "on a stern
and rock-bound coast," and adopted it as their emblem on the historic pine
tree shilling. Later, Maine became a great producer of white pine and is
still called the Pine Tree State. In 1635 a cargo of white pine masts was
shipped to England, and cargoes of lumber were sent from New England to
Africa to be paid for in slaves that were sold in Virginia and the West Indies.
The pine forests of the southern United States have long furnished more
pine lumber than any other closely related group of timber trees in this
country, but these once extensive forests are now disappearing even as did the
white pine of New England and the Lake States. The pines of the Western
States, which include the sugar pine, the largest of the pines, and the western
yellow pine, are now being cut and shipped to the East where pine was for-
merly so abundant.
Although the pines are known chiefly for their value for timber, yet there
are a number of species which are highly ornamental. By the use of large
masses and proper variety as a background, a characteristic sky-line can be
secured which cannot be excelled by the use of any other group of trees. The
pines have a less formal habit than the spruces, and not as dense a foliage.
The needles are long, in bundles of from one to five, and on old trees are
crowded in tufts to the end of the branches. The conical form of young trees
changes at maturity to a broad, flattened crown of picturesque appearance.
Pines have a touch of mistiness due to their form and coloration which led
Tennyson to connect their thick boughs with "many a cloudy hollow." All
the pines are light-needing, but are easily handled and under favorable con-
ditions make rapid growth.
STONE PINE
The stone pine (Pinus pinea) is the first pine mentioned in ancient writ-
ings. There is a myth of ancient Greece that Pan, the god who presided over
country regions, attempted to win the love of a nymph of Mount Taygetus,
( 35 )
where he then had his abode. Boreas, the god of the north wind, became a
rival of Pan and, in a fit of anger, blew the nymph down from a high precipice.
Pan saw her falling and though unable to save her life changed her form to
that of a pine tree. From that time pine trees have been seen clinging to rocky
mountain sides and growing in the exposed places of the earth.
The stone pine is a conspicuous feature in the landscape of Rome, and a
favorite with artists, who use its massive head in their Italian scenes as a foil
to the limpid azure of the sky. Pliny describes the great eruption of Vesuvius
in A. D. 79 and compares the form of the stone pine to the mass of smoke
which arose from the volcano. Just as the mingled steam and dust arose from
the crater in a vertical column and then spread laterally on all sides, so does
the stone pine rise unbranched to a considerable height and then send out
its branches in a more or less flat mass at the summit.
In Pliny's time the nuts of the stone pine were preserved in honey, and are
now commonly used as food. On the islands in the sea of Marmora, where
the tree is common, the cones are exposed to fire to make them open and drop
out their seeds, which are known in Turkish as "fistils." The French call the
seed "pignons." It is from the bony shell in which the seed is enclosed that
the tree derives its name.
The stone pine has a trunk covered with rugged, deep fissured, thick
red-gray bark. It forks at a short distance from the ground and sends out
massive, spreading branches of great length which form a flat and round
topped crown. The shiny green needles, which are quite long, together with
the unique umbrella-shaped crown afford a valuable aid to landscape planting.
Excellent specimens are to be seen in the Capitol Park at Sacramento. In its
native land the stone pine attains a height of about seventy-five feet, but in
this state the finest specimens do not exceed fifty feet in height. It is mod-
erately long lived and is hardy in regions where there are no heavy frosts.
AUSTRIAN PINE
The Austrian pine (Pinus laricio austriaca) is a robust hardy, spreading
tree with stout, blunt branches and rich glossy, dark-green foliage. It is a
variety of the Corsican pine which is a native of southern Europe and which
was adopted in 1788 for masts for the French navy.
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Plate 19. EUROPEAN BUCKEYE. Sacramento.
A handsome flowering tree with palmate leaves and large leaflets. The flowers are borne in erect panicles.
Plate 20. EUROPEAN BUCKEYE BLOSSOMS. San Luis Obispo.
"Glorious array'd;
For in its honor prodigal nature weaves
A princely vestment, and profusely showers
O'er its green masses of broad palmy leaves
Ten thousand waxen pyramidal flowers."
— Forest Minstrel.
In the Austrian forests this tree reaches a height of eighty to 120 feet
and a diameter of three feet. It grows rapidly and well adapts itself to a
variety of soils. On account of its dense foliage it is suitable for backgrounds
in landscape architecture. It has a long tap root which makes it wind firm
and this quality together with its compact foliage makes it desirable for wind-
breaks. It is also well adapted for planting in cities, since it is highly resistant
to smoke.
MONTEREY PINE
The Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is a native of California where it
occurs in patches for a distance of 130 miles along the coast south of San
Francisco Bay. It reaches its best development near Monterey, where the
trees average forty to sixty feet high and one to two feet in diameter. Near
the sea the trees lose their upright character and are distorted by the wind
into many fantastic shapes. Monterey pine is not cut into lumber these
days because of the knottiness of the wood, but the early Spaniards used it
somewhat for boat building eighty years ago.
From early days this tree has been extensively planted for ornamental
purposes and windbreaks, not only in California but in England and Aus-
tralia where it makes a remarkable growth. It has a very symmetrical, narrow
and round topped crown, and rich green leaves beautifully arranged in clumps
on the branches. The growing season is practically continuous. At Berkeley
trees attain a height of sixty to ninety feet in thirty years.
The Monterey pine is a comparatively short-lived species and begins to
show signs of old age under cultivation at the end of thirty-five or forty year.>.
It will not thrive on wet soils, preferring the slopes, bluffs, ridges and the well
drained soils of the coast. It thrives best when the annual rainfall averages
about seventeen inches.
For a rapid growth conifer, this species is unexcelled. It is useful for soil
protection in semiarid regions, and serves well as a windbreak tree, besides
being good for fuel. Its short life and susceptibility to insects and fungous
diseases, however, are disadvantages which often cause other species to be
chosen.
TORREY PINE
Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana) occurs naturally only in a small area on
the California coast at Del Mar near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island. It
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was discovered in 1850 and named in honor of Professor John Torrey of
Columbia College, a student of western plants in California before the days
of the overland railroad. The city of San Diego has included the little group
of these rare trees at Del Mar in a city park in order that they may be carefully
protected against despoliation.
In its native state, the Torrey pine is a short stocky tree about forty
feet high and a foot in diameter. In situations exposed to strong sea winds it
is semiprostrate with its crown sprawling to leeward. Under the influence
of cultivation, it develops a totally different habit and is symmetrical with
regular whorls of branches. It grows rapidly and with its foliage in heavy
tufts on the ends of the branchlets makes an attractive tree. It is planted as
an ornamental, particularly in southern California, with much success.
BIG-CONE PINE
The big-cone pine (Pinus coulter i) was first collected by Dr. Thomas
Coulter in 1831, who found it on the mountains of Santa Lucia near the
mission of San Antonio, in latitude 36 degrees, within sight of the sea and at
an elevation of from 3000 to 4000 feet above its level. This pine, which has
the largest cone borne by any pine, closely resembles the western yellow pine
in habit except that the foliage is pale or yellowish green as contrasted with
the bright green masses of yellow pine leaves.
It reaches a height of ninety feet in its native habitat in the southern
coast mountains of California with a trunk sometimes four feet in diameter.
It is most abundant on the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges at eleva-
tions of about 5000 feet. The seeds were formerly gathered and eaten by the
Indians of southern California.
Big-cone pine is planted somewhat as an ornamental on account of its
striking foliage and cones, but its chief importance is for a cover on arid slopes
where other species will not grow.
CANARY ISLAND PINE
The Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis), or blue pine as it is often
called, is a native of the Canary Islands. It does very well under cultivation,
especially in southern California, where it is said to grow as fast, if not faster,
than Monterey pine, a native tree of remarkable growth. The long pendent
needles of a glaucous blue color give the tree a distinctive appearance. The
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branches are slender, and form, at maturity, a broad, round-topped head
although the young trees have the pyramidal form characteristic of conifers.
Canary Island pine stands drought well, and has the peculiarity, possessed by
only a few1 of the conifers, of sprouting from the stump when cut down.
ALEPPO PINE
The Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) is a native of the Mediter-
ranean region which thrives well on arid situations in California, where
it is particularly adaptable for seaside planting. It is a tree of rapid
growth and spreading habit, the younger branches often assuming a peculiar
twisted appearance. The needles are short, grayish in color, and occur in
tufts on the ends of the branchlets. The tree reaches a height of about sixty
feet and has an open appearance which does not lead to its choice as an orna-
mental where more attractive foliage trees will flourish. Its chief merit is its
ability to flourish under adverse soil and atmospheric conditions.
SPRUCES
The spruces (Picea) are often confused with the firs (Abies), from which
they can easily be distinguished by their needles, which are borne on short
leaf stalks instead of directly on the branches, as in the case with firs. The
little stalks that remain after the needles fall give the branches a rough ap-
pearance. The cones are pendent instead of erect and do not lose their scales
as do those of the firs.
The spruces are naturally tall trees of symmetrical habit, with spreading
whorled branches densely clothed with sharp-pointed, four-sided needles.
There are at least eighteen species found in the northern hemisphere, nearly
all of them being under cultivation. Spruce is extensively planted as a forest
tree by European foresters to serve as a nurse for the young oaks or elms that
are planted beneath its dense foliage.
The spruces in the Vosges- Mountains of Europe produce a resin which
is of considerable value. It oozes from cracks in the bark of the trees and when
treated forms the medicinal Burgundy pitch. The generic term Picea was
derived from the Latin word meaning pitch, and it was the spruce that pro-
vided the £>ix liquida, the boiling liquid pitch that was employed for purposes
of torture in the days of the early Roman Empire.
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Weighted with loads of snow or tossed by boisterous winds, the spruce,
as seen in Alpine landscapes, is attractive to artists. "It is," says Sir Thomas
Lauder, "the great tree of the Alps, and is so mentally associated with the
grandeur of Swiss scenery that the sight of it never fails to touch chords in our
bosom which awaken the most pleasing recollections. What can be more
truly sublime than to behold, opposed to the intensely blue ether, the glazed
white summits of Mount Blanc, or the Jungfrau, rising above the interminable
forests of spruces which clothe the bases of the mountains?"
The spruce tree serves for more than beauty since it is from its wood that
the frontal part of the violins of Brescian and Cremonese fame were con-
structed. It was from the wood of the spruce, in preference to all other woods,
that the violins of Antonius Stradivarius were made, and which now fetch
such fabulous prices. Choice specimens of spruce wood were selected by the
old fiddle designers, and we can readily picture them exploring the mountain-
sides to find the trees which would best furnish them with the resonant wood
they needed for
"That small, sweet thing
Devised in love and fashioned cunningly
Of wood and strings."
NORWAY SPRUCE
Norway spruce (Picea excelsa) is a native of northern Europe, where it
was the original Christmas tree. It has a graceful, flowing outline of light
green foliage. The growth is rapid and the branches compact which well
adapts it for windbreaks or shelters. Like many of the spruces and firs, it is
apt to lose its beauty when it reaches an age of fifty years or more, and become
thin and ragged in the top. Several varieties of this tree have been developed
by nurserymen, one of the most picturesque being a weeping variety with
irregular drooping branches.
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE
The Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) has a striking appearance due
to the bluish tinge of its foliage. Koster, a nurseryman, developed a variety
with extremely silvery foliage by grafting on Norway spruce stock. This
spruce is highly ornamental and is commonly used to add emphasis to a lawn.
Care should be taken, however, not to make this emphasis too bold. As a
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Plate 23. ISLAND IRONWOOD. Berkeley.
Native only to the islands off the coast of Southern California. It is a rare species which is worthy of trial as
street tree because of its erect habit of growth, moderate spread and narrow crown.
Plate 24. CATALPA. Fresno.
A tree that is noticeable for its large, heart-shaped leaves and panicles of white, fragrant flowers.
Plate 25. CATALPA BLOSSOMS. Fresno.
The tubular bignonia-like flowers nestle among the large, heart-shaped lea
Plate 26. INCENSE CEDAR. Visalia.
"Its bright brown shafts and warm masses of plumy foliage make a striking feature of the landscape."
— John Muir.
rule, the best effects are obtained by associating it with evergreens of a less
spectacular color. When this is done, its striking characteristics will not appear
gaudy, but will harmonize with the other trees in the background in a pleasing
manner.
ORIENTAL SPRUCE
The oriental spruce (Picea orientalis) from Asia is one of the most delicate
and graceful of all spruces. It has about the same color as Norway spruce,
but with more slender branches and shorter leaves. It grows very slowly and
is well adapted for small grounds.
SITKA SPRUCE
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) also known as tideland spruce, which is
of so great importance for aeroplane material because of its strength, elas-
ticity, straight grain and comparative freedom from hidden defects, was ex-
tensively logged during the recent war by the government through "spruce
regiments." It reaches its best development in Oregon and Washington, but
grows to some extent along the coast of northern California.
Sitka spruce makes a striking ornamental tree with its dense rich blue or
sage foliage. From a distance some branches appear greenish, others silvery,
the variation in color forming beautiful contrasts. It attains a height of 100
to 150 feet under cultivation, although a height of 200 feet is not uncommon
in its native habitat.
YEWS
Yew (Taxus) reflects many aspects of early religious and social life.
Virgil knew its habits when he wrote "The vine loves the hills, the yew tree,
the north wind and the cold."
The pagan people of antiquity in south Europe held the cypress in rever-
ence, and the yew was so regarded by the northern tribes. It was their cus-
tom to bury their dead around yew trees, and place yew branches beneath the
body in the grave, since the long life of the tree was regarded by them as a
symbol of immortality. Yew trees are still very common in the churchyards
of England. They have been described as sable, sombre, and gloomy in
many a book of prose and poetry.
"Like the black and melancholy yew tree,
Dost think to root thyself in dead men's graves,
And yet to prosper?"
T. Webster.
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Another reason for its presence in churchyards may be due to the fact
that its wood was used for crossbows, the chief weapon in the early wans.
The Greek word meaning bow was evolved from another Greek word meaning
yew, because they made bows and arrows of it.
The battles of Crecy and Poictiers were won with yew bows, and Edward
IV enacted that every Englishman should have a bow of his own height.
Later the supply of yew became scarce because of the demands made on it for
bows, and all the bowyers were ordered to make four bows of witch-hazel,
ash, or elm to every one of yew, in order that the supply of this valued wood
might be preserved. This is said to be one of the earliest forest regulations in
England.
The genus Taxus includes six species of small trees and shrubs which occur
over a wide range in the northern hemisphere. Their rich, dark, glossy foliage
gives them a sombre hue which is a decided contrast to other trees. In many
a landscape the yew strikes a deep, solemn note which makes the other trees
look all the brighter for its presence. The red berries which are borne by
the yew instead of cones add to its beauty. The berries are on the under side
of the leaf sprays where they make an attractive setting. The yew is slow
of growth, but grows for many years, and will live for centuries. There are
three species of American yew, two of which are found in the Eastern States
and one on the Pacific Coast. The western species is the largest, reaching a
height of twenty to thirty feet, and a diameter of from six to twelve inches.
THE ENGLISH YEW
The English yew (Taxus baccata) gives a fine scenic effect in the spring
with its dark foliage standing out in contrast to the light green coloring of its
surroundings.
"Where the distinguished yew is ever seen,
Unchanged his branch, and permanent his green."
The bushy head of this yew can be trimmed into any form and trees are
commonly seen that have been converted into such unnatural shapes such as
peacocks, pyramids, and teapots. No matter how much the yew is clipped,
there are always buds in the angles between the narrow leaves and the stems
that will give rise to new growth and fill up gaps.
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Plate 28. LEBANON CEDAR. Pasadena.
"Behold the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high
stature; and his top was among the thick boughs."
*****
"All the fowls of Heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field
bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations." — Ezekiel 31 : 3, 6.
The trunks of old trees are often greatly enlarged by the coalescing of
shoots which develop about the base giving them a cathedral-like effect. In
Darley Dole Churchyard in England there is a yew formed in this manner.
A peculiarity of this coalescing of the main and minor trunks is that the
main trunk may eventually die, but the hollow tree will still be nourished by
this outer, living shell of younger shoots.
THE IRISH YEW
The Irish yew (Taxus baccata fastigiata) was produced from a freak of
the English yew, and was first found growing wild more than one hundred
years ago in the mountains of County Fermanagh in Ireland. Cuttings
from this tree gave us all the Irish yews of today. They have an upright habit
of growth, resembling a bundle of closely packed branches. The foliage is of
the darkest hue, and the whole tree appears like a deep green column. Irish
yews are well adapted for formal effects and avenue planting. They form
one of the most striking approaches to the State Capitol at Sacramento.
THE WESTERN YEW
The western yew (Taxus brevifolia) is an American species which is
widely distributed along the coast of California and in the mountains as far
south as the southern Sierras. It seldom exceeds forty feet in height and one
to one and one-half feet in diameter, its best development being in moist,
cool canyons. The wood is very hard, durable and close-grained, and was
formerly used by the Indians for paddles, spear handles and bows. This
yew, which resembles the English yew, is occasionally cultivated in gardens.
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BROAD-LEAF TREES
Broad-leaf trees are best adapted for street and highway planting due
to the shade afforded by their broad crowns during the heat of summer. As
a rule deciduous broad-leafs are more desirable than those which keep their
leaves the year round since they do not prevent the drying of roads and
streets after the winter storms.
There are comparatively few broad-leafs in the number considered that
are suitable for street and highway planting. The foliage is a minor con-
sideration in comparison with other factors such as the adaptability of the
tree to local climatic and soil conditions, and its response to care. For this
reason much consideration must be given to selecting suitable species for road-
side and street planting. The tree chosen should have a desirable habit of
growth, capable of adapting itself to soil conditions and be a long-lived variety
that improves rather than deteriorates with age.
The ornamental value of broad-leaf trees lies in their variety of foliage
and form. The changeableness of color in the foliage of the deciduous broad-
leafs, the variety of branch systems in their naked winter condition and the
awakening of Nature in the early spring are sources of perpetual interest.
The evergreen broad-leafs, which have the great attraction of remaining green
throughout the year, have their place in the consideration of any landscaping
plan. Many of the broad-leafs have flowers which add to their ornamental
value.
There is a large variety of broad-leaf ornamental trees, both native and
exotic, found in California. Some flourish in temperate climates, and some
require subtropical conditions. Some stand drought and alkali, others require
good soil and moisture conditions. A good guide for the selection of trees for
planting is the class of material found growing in nurseries under local condi-
tions. Trees that might flourish in the coast region may prove entirely un-
suited to the hot interior valleys. It is very important to study local condi-
tions before selecting any tree, whether it be broad-leaf or conifer, for planting.
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ACACIAS AND FALSE ACACIAS
The acacias and false acacias belong to the Pulse family, which is char-
acterized by its pod-like fruit and compound leaves composed of small leaflets
which for>n a graceful foliage Most species have spines, and some have
striking flowers which give them additional ornamental value.
All members of the Pulse family, which contains over seven thousand
species of plants throughout the world, have the power of transforming the
nitrogen of the air into a fertilizer that enriches the soil in which they grow.
The plants range in size from peas, beans and alfalfa to large trees. All of
them are called legumes because of their pods which are of the order of those
borne by beans and peas.
The trees in this family embrace four to five hundred species which are
mostly small or medium-sized. They are widely distributed in all temperate
and tropical regions. Some of the genera have little commercial or orna-
mental value. Others such as the Acacia, Robinia, Gleditschia and Cercis are
widely planted because of their attractive foliage and flowers, and their ability
to flourish in poor soils and under arid conditions.
ACACIAS
The generic term Acacia is derived from a word meaning a point or thorn,
and relates to the branches, which are usually armed. It is a very large
genus which embraces more than four hundred species dispersed throughout
the tropical parts of the earth and in parts of the temperate zone. Ten or
twelve species are native to North America of which four are arborescent.
The Australian species are the largest and most valuable for timber. Other
species yield valuable by-products such as flowers for perfumery, bark for
tanning purposes, wood for medicines and dyes, and gum arabic.
The acacias have great historical and symbolic significance inasmuch as
the Ark of the Covenant and the Ark of the Tabernacle were made from
one species, the Shittim wood of the Bible. On account of its "incorruptible"
wood this species was also used by the Egyptians to make coffins for the burial
of their kings. The Buddhists and the Hindus regard the wood of the acacia
as sacred and burn it on their altars Chinese doctors believe that the acacia
is identified with the eye and prescribe its use to clear the eyesight.
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Many species of acacia are cultivated for their graceful foliage and hand-
some fragrant flowers. Over one hundred species have been introduced into
California, nearly all of them being hardy even when grown in poor soil. They
are rapid growers, cases being known where trees have grown to a height
of twenty-five feet in six years. At thirty years most of the trees reach ma-
turity and thereafter begin to deteriorate. This gives them a ragged ap-
pearance which is further intensified by the breaking of the brittle wood of
the limbs by the wind.
Blackwood Acacia
The blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon) is one of the most common
of the acacias particularly in the southern part of California. It is an erect,
pyramidal grower and forms a well-shaped head. The leaves are large and
oblong and tend to give the tree a funereal aspect which is objectionable when
the trees are planted too close together. When young the tree has both
blade and feather leaves. The blossoms, which are a very light yellow, appear
in heads.
This tree is well adapted for street and highway planting on account of
its rapid growth and symmetrical form. It needs little attention and will
stand considerable abuse. It will stand more water than the other acacias
and will do well in parkings where there is grass. The tree needs ample room
for development and when planted should be headed high to keep it from be-
coming too dense.
Green Wattle
Green wattle (Acacia decurrens) has pinnately compound foliage, and a
wealth of pale yellow blossoms early in the spring. It is a good park and
avenue tree, but must be given attention else its habit of growth will be bad.
Care should be taken to select erect specimens and prune them during the
.first few years following planting. A disadvantage of the tree is that it casts
little shade at maturity due to its open head.
Bailey's Acacia
Bailey's acacia (Acacia baileyana) is a small tree rarely exceeding thirty-
feet in height which is chiefly planted for ornamental purposes. The silvery
fern-like foliage, blending with its beautiful golden flowers, makes it the most
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Plate 31. CAPE CHESTNUT. Los Angeles.
A rare tree, from the Cape of Good Hope, which has large, beautiful blossoms. The tree shown in the illustration
was planted about 1893 by the daughter of General Fremont.
a t-t
S
a
n
attractive of the acacias. The growth is rapid, but unfortunately the tree is
short-lived and begins to decline when many other trees are reaching the full
glory of their maturity.
ALBIZZIAS
The albizzias were named after Albizzi, an Italian naturalist. They are
closely allied to the acacias and are grown chiefly for their handsome foliage
and attractive flowers. There are about twenty-five species in the tropical
and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia.
One of the most attractive species is the Constantinople acacia (Albizzia
julibrissin). It has a low and spreading growth with very finely divided
feathery leaves. The flowers, which are borne profusely in the summer,
occur in delicate pink heads which are crowded on the ends of the branches.
This tree reaches a height of about forty feet and is hardy especially in the
Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys on good, well-drained soil.
This is one of the favorite trees of John McLaren, Superintendent of
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, who commends it as follows :
"The full effect of the beauty of this most interesting tree is had
when it is planted on a rising ground, against a background of pine or
other dark foliage, in the full sunlight in which it seems to delight."
BLACK LOCUST
The black locust (Robinia pseudacacia) is a native tree of the eastern
part of the United States which is known in Europe as the false acacia because
of its resemblance to the true acacia. The generic name is in honor of the Robin
brothers, who were arborists for one of the early French kings. It was intro-
duced into France by Jean Robin in about 1600 and became a favorite be-
cause of its beautiful flowers and foliage. In 1664, Evelyn, an Englishman,
in his Sylva, recommends black locust as "deserving a place among our avenue
trees, adorning our walks with its exotic leaves and sweet flowers ; very hardy
against the pinching winter. It thrives well in His Majesty's new plantation
in St. James' Park."
In the eighteenth century the value of the black locust for timber and
as a soil improver due to the nitrogenous nodules on its roots became recog-
nized. It was planted on an enormous scale in England and the prophesy was
made that it was destined to speedily replace most of the hardwood trees in
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cultivation, and would become more common in time than the oak. About
this time, the French also began to plant the black locust on an extensive
scale, and it was decreed that May sixth of each year should be consecrated
to this tree.
In its native country the black locust reaches a height of eighty to ninety
feet and a diameter of three to four feet. When grown in the open it branches
low, and the top is open, rounded and irregular. The leaves are eight to
fourteen inches long and consist of small oval leaflets arranged in pairs on the
sides of the leaf stem with a single leaflet on the top. The tree is most beauti-
ful when in flower when the pendent white clusters of pea-shaped blossoms
are set off by the dark green foliage. The flowers were symbolic to the Indian,
who presented them to the lady of his choice as a declaration of his love.
The fruits of the black locust are brown pods which may hang on the
tree through the winter. The tree is least attractive at that season since the
absence of the leaves reveals the open branches and the rough, ridgy bark of
the trunk.
The ability to grow in a wide variety of soils and under arid conditions
is a strong point in favor of the black locust. Its habit of suckering is its chief
objection, although this propensity varies greatly. In some places it suckers
freely while in others practically no suckering takes place. The tree can be
easily propagated by cuttings and grows rapidly, making a dense hard wood,
which is valuable for posts. It is the best wood known for tree-nails and
was in great demand during the late war for that use in the construction of
wooden ships.
Black locust did not supersede all other trees in England as was pre-
dicted, but many fine specimens are found there, some of them three or four
feet in diameter. It is a common tree in California particularly in old mining
camps where it was planted by the pioneers who brought the seed with
them across the plains or around Cape Horn. The beauty and fragrance of
these trees in the spring now forms the chief attractiveness of many of these
old camps, some of which have become practically deserted.
HONEY LOCUST
Honey locust (Gleditschia triacanthos), which grows naturally in the
Appalachian region and as far west as Kansas and Texas, is planted for orna-
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mental and street purposes because of its handsome, finely divided foliage
which resembles that of acacia, its large conspicuous pods and branched
spines. McLaren states that it should make a good street tree on this ac-
count, since the spine-covered branches would cause boys to fight shy of
climbing the trunk. The spines are specially developed branches. Most of
them branch near the base to form a cross which has caused the tree to be called
the three-thorned acacia and the acacia of the Passion.
The first term of the formidable scientific name of this species is in honor
of Gottleib Gleditsch, a German botanist; the second from the long three-
pronged spines on the trunks and branches. The large broad brown pods
which bear the seeds of the tree are conspicuous in late summer and remain
on the tree nearly all winter. The delicate, open foliage which gives the tree
such a light and graceful aspect, comes out late in the season. It is bright
green in the spring, turning to clear yellow shortly before leaf-fall. Fragrant
greenish flowers appear in racemes early in summer.
The honey locust attains a height of fifty to seventy-five feet, and has
spreading branches which form a low, spreading, rounded top. Because of
its fine foliage the tree does not give as dense a shade as some trees, but in
other ways it is very desirable for planting on streets and highways. It grows
rapidly on any ordinary good soil, and is one of the few leguminous trees that
will stand alkali. It requires very little irrigation and is free from insect at-
tacks. Some objection has been found to the tree on account of its sharp
thorns which makes pruning difficult. This characteristic, however, has
been made use of in forming impassable hedges by planting the trees thickly
and pruning them severely. For those who object to the tree because of its
thorns a thornless variety has been developed which can be obtained from sev-
eral nurseries in the state.
ASHES
Around no other tree has there gathered more legend and superstition
than around the ash. To the ol'd Northmen it was the tree of trees, the mystic
Yggdrasil beneath whose shade the gods sat daily in council. According to
the "Edda," their sacred books, an eagle rests on the summit of this mystic
tree to observe all that passes in the world, while a squirrel constantly ascends
and descends to report those things that the eagle may not have seen. Ser-
4—11898 ( 49 )
pents twine around the trunk, and from its roots flow two streams, that of the
knowledge of things past and that of the knowledge of things to come.
Scandinavian mythology relates that Odin made the first man from a
piece of ash which he found on the seashore, and so the Vikings were called
the Ashmen. They used the wood of the ash for spear-shafts and axe-handles,
and their ships were fashioned out of it since they believed it had special power
to withstand evil both in the day of battle and of storm.
The Greeks also had a tradition of the origin of man from an ash, and its
wood was deemed worthy to form the spear-handles of Achilles and other of
their heroes.
In the middle ages the ash was supposed to be a safeguard against witches
especially if it was made a "Shrew Ash" by burying a live shrew-mouse in a
hole in its trunk. It was believed that leaves and twigs taken from such a
tree were a sovereign remedy for cattle suffering from cramp, which was
supposed to be due to a shrew-mouse having run over the suffering part.
Ash leaves were reported to cure warts, provided one said to the tree, "Ashen
tree, Ashen tree, pray buy these warts of me," as one placed the leaves on
the warts. Serpents were supposed to have an aversion to the ash, and it
was reported that they would "sooner run into the fire than into the boughs,
and that they dare not so much as touch the morning and evening shadows of
the tree."
The ash has been called the Venus of the forest because of the airiness
in its foliage due to the subdividing of its leaves. There are thirty to forty
species in the genus Fraxinus to which it belongs, growing mostly in the tem-
perate regions of the northern hemisphere. In North America, sixteen species
are recognized, the white ash being the most beautiful and useful of the
American species. The English ash is attractive with its fine foliage and black
buds to which Tennyson compared the jet blackness of the hair of the gar-
dener's daughter as being "more black than ash buds in the front of March."
The smooth ashen-gray bark of the bole is supposed to be the origin of
the name ash. The flowers come first, and then the leaf-buds burst, displaying
tiny leaflets laid together like the pleats of a fan. As the leaves open each
leaf is composed of a terminal leaflet and a number of lateral leaflets arranged
in pairs along the midrib. The fruit ripens in the fall and hangs on the trees
in clusters through the winter. The fruit is often called ash keys, the botanical
(SO)
Plate 33. CRAPE MYRTLE. Sacramento.
A small tree with very smooth bark which blooms freely through most of the summer.
Plate 34. CRAPE MYRTLE BLOSSOMS. Sacramento.
The soft, fringed flowers of the crape myrtle give it an attractive effect on many lawns in cities of central California.
name being the samara. Each key is long and flat with a seed shaped as a
long oval at the stem end and continuing into a flat leathery wing.
WHITE ASH
The white ash (Fraxinus americana) is native from Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. It reaches
its best development on rich moist soil where occasional specimens 120 feet
high and from five to six feet in diameter are found. It grows straight and
symmetrical, and forms a broad, rounded head which bears dense, graceful
masses of leaves. In the fall the leaves change color, and as they drop from
the tree expose a characteristic open head with erect rigid twigs with an
opposite arrangement.
It is hard to understand why white ash has not been planted more ex-
tensively in California since it has many characteristics that recommend it
for a shade tree. It is a rapid grower, is hardy, and has few insect enemies.
For ornamental purposes, its open habit of branching affords a desirable con-
trast to bring out the beauties of other trees with more delicate branch systems,
and its light green leaves make an effective color effect against darker foliage.
It can be easily transplanted on account of its finely divided root system,
and should do well under good soil and moisture conditions.
ARIZONA ASH
Arizona ash (Fraxinus velutina) is a little known tree which is destined
to be widely planted in California along roads and highways because of its
ability to do well under adverse conditions. The tree grows naturally from
western Texas to the Owens Lake region in southern California, where it
inhabits the banks of the streams or borders of springs. In its native state
it is a small tree, from fifteen to thirty feet high, but under cultivation it
reaches a height of seventy-five feet.
It has large, compound, willow-like leaves, gracefully drooping branches,
and large panicles of wing-like -fruit in the fall. It grows fast, and forms a
symmetrical, round top, which affords sufficient shade, although some sun-
light always finds a way through its irregular, wavy foliage.
Arizona ash has the great merit of growing well in alkaline soil where
hardly any other tree will do, and is particularly well adapted to the arid
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regions of southern California. That it will do equally well in the Sacramento
and San Joaquin valleys is evidenced by a sturdy row on the highway near
Bakersfield. Kern County has recently planted a large number of Arizona
ash trees on the barren seventeen-mile stretch of state highway running
from Bakersfield to the foot of the pass over the mountains to Los Angeles,
and under the care of the California Highway Commission they are doing
well, though struggling against extremely adverse conditions.
BIRCHES
There is some difference of opinion as to which tree is king, but there is
no doubt as to the right of the birch, the apotheosis of daintiness and charm,
to the title of Lady of the Woods bestowed on her by Coleridge.
The genus Betula, to which the birches belong, embraces some thirty-five
species of small trees all of which, except one South American species, are
inhabitants of cool, northern regions. Thirteen species are found in North
America of which ten are trees. Two groups are distinguishable, the white or
paper birches, and the yellow or black birches. The white birches with their
pure white bark, graceful foliage and slender branches are the ones chiefly
used for ornamental purposes.
From the earliest of times birch bark has served as a material on which
to write, and the books of Numa Pompilius of Rome, which were compiled
in 700 B. C., are said to have been written on it. The American Indians con-
sidered a birch bark canoe, ribbed with cedar, bound with larch roots and
with its seams made water safe with pine balsam, an ideal boat. They also
used the bark as a covering for their lodges.
In times past the giving of a birch wreath was a token of love, and in
Wales today the Maypole is always made of this tree. It has always been
associated with the spirits of the dead and with those that mourn, an associa-
tion that a poet has thus expressed :
"Weeps the birch of silver bark with long, dishevell'd hair."
It is stated that the fasces carried by the lictors before the magistrates
of ancient Rome were made of birch rods. The Russian believes the birch
tree to be a symbol of good health and is flogged with birch switches until he
perspires when taking a sweat bath. Many youths in the region where the
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Plate 35. GUADALUPE CYPRESS. Sacramento.
A native of the Guadalupe Island, which has foliage of striking blue color which often causes it to be called
-Blue Cypress."
Plate 36. ITALIAN CYPRESS. Visalia.
"There stands a group of cypresses —
Whose branches the air plays among, but not
Disturbs, fearing to spoil their solemn grace."
—Shelley.
birchjis abundant have painful recollections concerning this use of its branches.
In this connection the Dean of Wells in 1568 wrote the following:
"I have not red of any vertue it hath in physick ; howbeit, it serveth
for many good uses, and for none better than for betynge of stubborn
boys that either lye or will not learn."
WHITE BIRCH
The European white birch (Betula alba) is closely related to the paper
birch which is a native of northeastern United States. It is the most hand-
some of the white birches and is thought by Hamerton to be one of the most
beautiful of trees.
"The birch is always beautiful in herself," he says, "and not the least
beautiful in winter, when all her light woody structure is distinctly visible,
from the silvery trunk to the dark purple sprays. In spring her light green
foliage strikes the eye as crude, but in autumn the thinly scattered little
leaves of pale gold tell with the greatest brilliance amongst the darker shades
of the forest, and the whiteness of the stems is brilliant against the russets and
purples and dark greys."
The white birch is a short lived tree which reaches a height of about
fifty feet with a trunk seldom over a foot in diameter. The trunk is a definite
column to the tip of the tree and gives off- branches which are considerably
slighter and darker. From these branches droop still slighter twigs which
give the tree its daintiness and charm. The silvery bark is emphasized by
many transverse markings known as "lenticels" which are spaces where air
is admitted to the living tissues beneath the bark.
There are a number of varieties of the birch, one of the most beautiful
being the weeping cut-leaved birch (Betula alba laciniata pendula'). This is
common in parks and estates and is used to some extent on narrow roads or
streets where a marked contrast in growth is desired. Single specimens on
lawns are very attractive since the fine slender shoots, deeply cut leaves, and
snowy white trunk are revealed in all their beauty.
The birches do best in the coast region where there are favorable soil and
atmospheric conditions. Their natural habitat is in cool regions and they
will not thrive where there is too much heat. The growth is slow, but under
good care the birch will form a good head and make a splendid small tree for
(S3)
localities where a light shade is desired. Its beauty of outline is well shown
in MacWherter's picture of a group of birches entitled "The Three Graces."
BLADDER-NUT TREE
The bladder-nut tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) which was named after
J. G. Koelreuter, professor of natural history at Karlsruhe, is native to China
and Japan. It is a medium sized tree with a picturesque branch habit and a
heavy foliage of finely cut, dark-green, compound leaves. Small yellow flowers
are borne in large terminal panicles followed by conspicuous bladder-like pods.
It is sometimes called the "varnish tree" because of its glossy foliage.
This tree flourishes in the smoke-infested towns of England such as in
the outskirt districts of Liverpoool and Manchester, and has done well under
adverse conditions of soil and moisture in California. It is said to endure alkali
better than most trees which entitles it to consideration in some parts of the
state.
BOTTLE-BRUSHES
The bottle-brushes are mostly Australian trees and shrubs which are
widely planted in California because of their beauty and hardiness in with-
standing drought and abuse. The bottle-brushes embrace several genera but
the name is especially applicable to the genus Callistemon, a word derived
from two Greek words, kallos (beauty) and stemon (stamen). In most of
the species the stamens which protrude from the blossoms are of a beautiful
scarlet or crimson color. The flower clusters resemble bottle-brushes in shape
which gives the common name.
Callistemon lanceolatus is one of the most attractive of the bottle-brushes.
It has an erect growth and reaches a height of about twelve feet. In Australia
it is thirty feet tall and eighteen inches in diameter. The wood, which is
heavy and hard, is used there for mallets. It has very short and broad leaves
and bright red flowers.
The genus Melaleuca has not as showy flower clusters as Callistemon, but
the various species are more symmetrical in outline. All species are hardy in
nearly every locality in California except in mountainous districts. A lux-
uriant development is secured in some parts of the state under a combination
of warm summers and moist soil.
(54)
Plate 37. ITALIAN CYPRESS. Santa Barbara.
The use of Italian cypress to secure pleasing effects is well shown on this estate in Santa Barbara.
The bottle-brushes are favorites in California gardens. They are easily
pruned and are especially good for parks, schoolgrounds and private estates.
They grow well in any fair garden soil and require very little attention if the
ground is cultivated once a year and kept loose on the surface.
A notable feature of the Melaleucas is their striking shred-like papery
bark, which peels off in wide layers and leaves the trunk clothed in a lustrous
corky layer of rare beauty.
BRISBANE BOX
The Brisbane box (Tristania conferta), named in honor of Tristan, a
French botanist, is an Australian tree that is widely used in New South Wales
on city boulevards. It is a handsome evergreen with broad shining leaves,
somewhat resembling the broader form of eucalyptus leaves, clustered on the
ends of the branches. The flowers are white and star-shaped with fringes of
stamens which give them a very unusual appearance.
This tree has a good form and affords an abundance of shade. Under
favorable conditions it reaches a height of 100 feet. It stands drought re-
markably well and is hardy in central California. Its chief objectionable
feature is the dropping of its leaves throughout the year. It is also badly
affected with scale at Berkeley.
CALIFORNIA LAUREL
California laurel ( Umbellularia californica) derives its generic name from
the Latin umbella, a sunshade. It is one of the most characteristic native
trees of California, and is common along water courses in the coast ranges
and within the foothill zone on the west slope of the Sierras. It reaches its
best development on flats along the northern coast where it frequently be-
comes a tree eighty to 100 feet high and five to six feet in diameter.
Sargent describes it as "one of the stateliest and most beautiful inhabitants
of the North American forests; and no evergreen tree of temperate regions
surpasses it in the beauty of its dark dense crown of lustrous foliage and in
the massiveness of habit which makes it one of the most striking features of
the California landscape and fit it to stand in any park or garden."
The California laurel has many names, such as bay tree and pepperwood.
The leaves are highly aromatic giving an odor much like those of the bay
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laurel of the ancients. The common name for the California laurel in Oregon
is myrtle. The "black myrtle" of the millmen is produced by sinking logs in
water to improve the color of the wood for furniture and interior finish.
California laurel is a handsome tree in cultivation, but should be planted
under advantageous conditions, since it tends to become top-heavy and is
liable to be blown down. The trees are apt to develop several leaders, but if
kept to a single leader it forms a fine pyramid and makes a splendid tree.
No evergreen tree is better adapted for forming groups of dense foliage if given
a suitable place. In the hot interior valleys it is apt to be attacked by scale,
and, on that account, should be given a shady situation and plenty of water
during the dry season.
CAMPHOR TREE
The camphor tree (Cinnamonum camphora) is a native of China and
Japan which has become so thoroughly naturalized in California as to be
considered a genuine "old timer." It is one of the most popular ornamental
trees in southern California, where it is a favorite evergreen for street planting,
due to its handsome, dense foliaged crown.
The leaves are bright green, highly polished, and throughout the summer
give the tree an appearance of freshness. The new foliage is very attractive
in its reddish-pink splendor at the tips of the branches. The mature form is
dome shaped, the trees rarely exceeding forty feet in height. Good growth
can be secured by giving the trees care, but if they are neglected they will
become stunted and irregular in shape.
The camphor tree is not confined to southern California, but thrives in
many sections of the central and northern part of the state, where it displays
quite a degree of immunity from frost at low elevations. It lends itself to
wide parkings on city streets and makes a handsome shade and ornamental
tree on lawns. Like most other evergreen trees, there is some dropping of
leaves throughout the year, but not enough to cause an excessive litter.
The camphor of commerce is extracted from the wood, bark and leaves
of this tree, and there is a distinct odor of camphor to the leaves which is
brought out when they are crushed in the hand.
(56)
Plate 39. LAWSON CYPRESS. Del Monte.
"Here, where upon the velvet lawn
The cedar spreads its shade."
— Procter.
Plate 40. JAPANESE CEDAR. Sacramento.
The national tree of Japan, which has an antiquity that can be traced to a very remote geological period.
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Plate 42. ENGLISH ELM. Burlingame.
It makes an erect, rapid-growing tree which is remarkably free from pests. Its long life, neatness and symmetry
recommend it for street and highway planting.
CAPE CHESTNUT
The Cape chestnut (Calodendrum cafjensis) takes its generic name from
a Greek word meaning beautiful tree. It is one of the handsomest deciduous
trees of the Cape of Good Hope, where it is called "wild chestnut." In Africa
this tree reaches a height of seventy feet, but only a few small specimens are
found under cultivation in California, all of them being confined to the southern
part of the state.
It is a symmetrical tree with attractive foliage and large panicles of white
or flesh-colored blossoms which are sometimes seven inches across and six inches
deep. The seeds, which resemble chestnuts, are black and shiny. The leaves,
which are four or five inches long, are studded with oil cysts which look like
translucent spots when held to the light.
This rare and beautiful tree is an ornament to any private ground, and
under favorable conditions and with good care, should do well in most parts
of southern California.
CAROB
The carob (Ceratonia siliqua) belongs to the legume family. The generic
term is from the Greek (keroma) meaning horn, in reference to the form of
the pod, the scientific name of which is silique. This tree, commonly known
as St. John's bread, because of its edible pods, is native to the eastern shores
of the Mediterranean Sea. It was taken by the Greeks into Greece and Italy,
and by the Spaniards into Mexico and South America. Its first appearance
in this country was in 1854 from Spain. Seeds were first planted in California
in 1873 at Los Gatos, and at the present time the tree is successfully grown
as far south as Imperial County and as far north as Butte.
The carob tree reaches a height of forty to fifty feet and has evergreen
foliage made up of glossy, green, compound leaves, making it a tree of great
beauty. The head is rounded and often branches in such a way that the
weight of the branches causes them to split and ruin the form of the tree.
This is its chief objection since in other ways the carob is well adapted for
street and ornamental planting. The majority of carob trees are dioecious,
that is, have staminate or male flowers en one tree and pistillate or female
flowers on a different tree. The pistillate flowers develop into pods four to
ten inches long, which are thick and tough and filled with a sweet pulpy sub-
stance in which the flat, bony seeds are embedded.
(57)
CASUARINAS
The generic term Casuarina is supposed to be taken from Casuarius, the
genus to which the cassowary, a large bird from the East Indies, belongs.
The name was given the trees in this genus because of the resemblance of their
branches to the feathers of the cassowary. The trees are commonly known as
beefwoods or she-oaks. The redness of the wood accounts for the name beef-
wood, and its hardness for its association with the oaks.
The Casuarlnas embrace about twenty-five species, which are found
naturally in Australia and the East Indies, where they grow under adverse
conditions of soil and moisture. This has led to their use in this country for
planting in certain localities, especially where alkali is present. It has been
found that they will resist alkali and drought better than most trees, which
is the main justification for their use.
The principal species planted is the she-oak (Casuarina stricta). It has
a peculiar form suggestive of its drought-resisting qualities. It has no leaves,
and the branches are jointed like those of the equisetums. This gives it a thin-
topped appearance, which on mature trees is suggestive of the habit of the
pines. It reaches a height of thirty-five to forty feet and under favorable
conditions makes a fairly rapid growth. It is planted on some streets in
southern California chiefly because of the oddity of its appearance, and the
little care that it requires.
Casuarina equiseti/olia has tiny, bur-like multiple fruits which cling to
the branches like little stars and shed quantities of tiny light brown winged
seeds. It has been successfully grown in plantations in the Berkeley hills.
CATALINA IRONWOOD
The Catalina ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus var asplenifolius) is
native only to Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Santa Catalina and San Clemente
islands, off the coast of southern California, and was first brought to the
mainland at Santa Barbara in 1894. It flourishes there, as well as in the
botanic gardens at the University of California, where a tree fifteen years
old is forty-five feet high and ten inches in diameter. It is called ironwood
because of the extreme hardness of its wood.
This rare species is worthy of trial as a street tree because of its erect
habit of growth, moderate spread and narrow crown. The leaves are divided
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Plate 43. CAMPERDOWN ELM. Golden Gate Park.
A grafted elm on which the limbs grow outward and downward giving it a weeping appearance.
Plate 44. EUCALYPTS AND PALMS. Fresno.
Many species of eucalypts have been introduced into California from Australia. Most of them secrete resinous
gums, hence they are commonly known as gum trees. The Kearney boulevard near Fresno, which is lined with
eucalyptus trees and palms, is one of the most beautiful in California.
into long, narrow leaflets, which are cut nearly to the midrib into triangular
lobes. It blooms in early summer, the blossoms being white and borne in
large, dense clusters. The bark is reddish in color and is shed in long strips.
There have been no failures wherever the iron wood has been tried in the
Coast region. It has not done well, however, in the interior region. As an
ornamental tree it is best adapted to large grounds where its symmetrical
outline and stately habit may be fully brought out.
CATALPAS
The generic term Catalpa is from the language of the Indians of Carolina,
where it was discovered in 1726. There are seven species of catalpa in the
world, two in North America and the others in the West Indies and Eastern
China.
The hardy catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) is most frequently planted, since it
is the most symmetrical of any of the species. It is a medium-sized tree
which is of interest because of its large heart-shaped leaves, clusters of striking,
white flowers and odd fruit pods which hang on the tree during the winter
These pods are commonly known as Indian beans.
The branches are long and heavy, forming an irregular round topped
tree. The successive fall of the flowers, leaves, and fruit make the catalpa
uncleanly, but it is comparatively free from insect pests, and on account of
its showy characteristics is often planted on streets and lawns. It does well
in the Coast region but is not a first choice species for street work in com-
parison with many other desirable trees.
CHERRIES AND PLUMS
The genus Prunus, the ancient Latin name for plum, besides including
such orchard fruits as peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, and almonds, em-
braces many ornamental trees and shrubs. The most ornamental species are
those from China and Japan, which are conspicuous because of their double
blossoms and colored leaves. One of the first to bloom is the Japanese plum
(Prunus pissardii), which was introduced into France by Pissard, gardener
to the Shah of Persia. A portion of Hillegas avenue, Berkeley, is lined with
these trees, which attract much attention in the early spring by their showers
of white blossoms tinted with pink. A little later, reddish-purple leaves
appear, followed in the fall by handsome light-red fruit.
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Catalina cherry (Prunus integrifolia) is a native of Santa Catalina and
Santa Cruz islands, off the coast of southern California. It has shining ever-
green leaves and produces a foliage often used for decorative purposes, as well
as for low windbreaks. The blossoms are inconspicuous, of a greenish-white
color, and are followed by small fruits of a small purplish-red color. This tree
is planted on a street in Hollywood, where it forms a very dark green crown
which gives a dense shade.
All members of this genus are small trees which are well adapted for narrow
streets or parkings where large trees would be out of proportion to the build-
ings. They also are effective as "accent trees" in front of other shrubbery and
trees. They are short-lived as a rule, but grow freely in any fairly good soil,
and require little irrigation if the soil is kept loose and free from weeds.
CHESTNUTS
The chestnuts are confined to the northern hemisphere, and are widely
distributed through eastern North America, southern Europe, northern
Africa, western Asia, and central and northern China and Japan. Four species
are distinguished of which two are found in this country. The finest chestnut
trees in the world are in the southern Appalachian Mountains, where a tree
seventy-five feet in height and with a circumference of over thirty-three feet
has been found.
The "spreading chestnut tree" under which the village blacksmith worked
is known to every school child. From its wood an armchair was made which
was presented to the poet Longfellow on his seventy-second birthday, Feb-
ruary 27, 1879.
The chestnut has many distinctive features. Mature trees have grayish-
brown bark with broad, flat, irregular ridges separated by deep fissures. The
leaves are six to eight inches long and about two inches wide with coarsely
toothed margins. In the fall they assume soft shades of yellow and red. In
summer, after most other trees have bloomed, the chestnut blazes into a
wealth of odorous, cream-colored blossoms, arranged on long, slender spikes.
The nut-producing flowers are fertilized and grow into prickly burs, the sharp
spines of which are Nature's protection against injury to the nuts. When
the burs split they separate into four parts, revealing two to four shining
nuts resting in a velvety brown bed.
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Plate 45. RED GUM. Pasadena.
The foliage of the older trees of this eucalyptus is reddish-white, which gives it its common name. It does not
grow as large as blue gum, but stands more cold and drought.
Plate 46. LEMON-SCENTED GUM. San Diego.
A fast growing eucalyptus that soon becomes tall and slender. It thrives best near the coast in southern California.
The chestnut blight is a serious enemy of the chestnut and has caused
havoc in the Eastern States. It makes the planting of the tree in the West
a considerable risk, because of the chances of its attack by this disease. It
made its appearance in this country in 1904, being brought in from either
China or Japan, and has resulted in the death of a large number of chestnut
trees in the East. So far as known, it has not attacked the few chestnut trees
planted in California to any extent, but it must be taken into consideration in
selecting chestnut for planting.
SPANISH CHESTNUT
The home of the Spanish chestnut (Castanea saliva) is the south and south-
west of Europe, and on the slopes of the lower hills of Spain and Italy it is
remarkable for its size and beauty. Pliny says that Julius Caesar introduced
it into Italy from Sardis in Asia Minor, and that the Romans greatly appre-
ciated the "Sardian acorn," as the nut was called. The chestnut probably
grew wild in Greece where, as early as the fourth century B. C., Theophrastus,
the Father of Botany, speaks of it as covering the slopes of Olympus.
Old chestnut trees often are made up of a fusion of many stems into one,
which explains the enormous size of some of these trees. The "Chestnut of a
hundred horses" on the east side of Mount Etna is 160 feet in circumference.
It is entirely hollow, and has a kiln built inside it for drying chestnuts, which
are a staple article of food in south Europe.
The chestnut was brought to England during the Roman occupation
and is often referred to in accounts of early English deeds. Henry II, in
granting land to the Abbey of Flaxley in the Forest of Dean, mentions the
chestnut trees growing there. Shakespeare makes allusion to it in "Macbeth"
and the "Taming of the Shrew," particularly to the use of the nuts for food.
The Spanish chestnut has been planted with success in various sections
of California. The best known tree is the Hilgard Chestnut, which stands
on the campus of the University of California in front of Agriculture Hall.
It was named after Dr. E. W. Hilgard, the first dean of the College of Agri-
culture, foremost soil expert of his generation and one of the pioneers of agri-
cultural education in the United States.
This tree was planted in 1885 and now is thirty-five feet high with branches
spread over a circle about fifty feet in diameter. It has always grown in the
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open without interference from other trees, and is therefore low-branched
with a wide spreading rounded, symmetrical crown. It is now forty-one inches
in diameter at one foot from the ground, and at about four feet the trunk
divides into eight spreading branches. In March, 1920, during the Agricultural
"labor day" the students of the College of Agriculture graded the area sur-
rounding this tree and planted it to a variety of trees and shrubs.
In England the chestnut is a valuable avenue tree. Across an ordinary
drive the trees will meet in a few years. The old trees are very picturesque.
The thickness of the trunks and stoutness of the lateral branches well justify
the description of Hamerton :
"His expression is that of sturdy strength, his trunk and limbs are
built, not like those of Apollo, but like the trunk and limbs of Hercules."
COPPER BEECH
The copper beech (Fagus sylvatica purpurea) is a horticultural variety of
the European beech which is cultivated for the striking color effect which it
gives. Its foliage is purplish crimson at first, changing to a deep lustrous
purple as the tree matures.
The beech of the Eastern States and of Europe is a large imposing tree
which can be grown in its native habitat with very little attention. The
forester looks upon it as "the mother of the forest" because of the protection
it gives the soil besides enriching it with its fallen leaves. In California it
does not do well except where it has abundant moisture and well-drained soil.
The copper beech seems to be the best adapted to our conditions. It is a
small tree which is chiefly fit for small surroundings and for contrast.
CORAL TREE
The coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli ) comes from Brazil, where it is often
used to shade coffee plantations. It sometimes develops a short trunk on which
the flowering branches die back after blooming. The flowers are very beautiful,
being very large and borne in panicles from one to two feet long. Their color
is a brilliant crimson, shaded with scarlet.
This tree is very striking in a garden, but is very subject to frost even in
southern California. It requires good soil and plenty of water during the
summer months. It has a sun-loving nature and does not do well where sub-
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Plate 47. LEMON-SCENTED GUM TRUNK. San Diego.
One of the eucalypts which is unique for its smooth, ivory-white, tapering trunk and for its lemon-scented foliage.
O
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ject to the cool fogs of the coast. Its attractive trifoliate leaves and striking
blossoms, however, make it a prized ornamental tree wherever it can be suc-
cessfully grown.
CRAPE MYRTLE
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) was given its generic name in honor
of Lagerstroem, a Swede, and friend of Linnaeus. It is a small tree about
twenty feet in height, which is generally considered as a shrub because of its
slow growth. Its chief attraction are its showy flowers which vary in color
from white to pink. It has small deciduous leaves and very smooth bark,
which with its flowers makes it a favorite choice for central parkings where
large trees would interfere with traffic, and where ornament is the chief con-
sideration. It is hardy in all valley portions of the state.
CHRISTMAS BERRY
The Christmas berry (Photinia arbutifolia) is a distinctive California
shrub which grows nowhere else in this country. All the other species, of which
there are about thirty, are found chiefly in southern and eastern Asia. It is
the glory of our hillsides in fall and winter with its bunches of crimson-red
berries in contrast with its glossy green foliage.
Many people think that the Christmas berry, commonly called California
holly, is related to the English holly, which its leaves and berries closely
resemble. It has no botanical relationship, but the spirit that prompts its
use for decorations during the Christmas season recognizes no difference.
Every year witnesses more people gathering "red berries," and in some sec-
tions of the state there is danger that this attractive shrub will become extinct
because of the ruthless way in which it is treated.
It is stated by forestry officials in southern California that the Christmas
berry in its canyons will become exhausted within three years unless com-
mercial and individual gatherers .stop pulling the bushes up by the roots.
Commercial gatherers are said to be picking it by the ton to be made into
wreaths that retail at a dollar apiece.
So destructive has been the gathering of holly in San Mateo County
that arrests have been made for trespass by owners as the only recourse of
stopping the vandalism practiced. People who would not think of going into
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private grounds and chopping down an ornamental shrub, think nothing of
uprooting a holly bush, one of the most beautiful of nature's ornaments.
If the Christmas berry is to be preserved it must be given a chance to
renew itself from year to year. This it will do if only small lateral branches
are cut off with a knife or pruning shears. The main branch system should not
be mutilated since wounds cause it to be subject to diseases such as the
pear-blight, which will eventually kill the shrub. The removal of lateral
branches does not affect its health. Vandalism will mean the exhaustion of
the California holly even as the arbutus of the Eastern States was destroyed
by ruthless hands.
The native Christmas berry thrives under cultivation and with good
care grows quickly. A Chinese species (Photinia serrulata) is a fine shrub
which often reaches a height of twenty feet. It has long drooping leaves which
are very dark green and glossy on the upper surface. Some of the leaves
turn a vivid red in the fall and persist during the winter. Small, white flowers
in large heads are borne in great profusion followed by showy berries. This
shrub is very hardy and is a favorite because of the fine ornamental effect
which it gives.
DOGWOODS
The dogwoods are shrubs or small trees that are grown for their attractive
flowers and fruits. The name dogwood comes from the fact that a decoction
of the bark of one of the species was used in England to wash mangy dogs.
The generic name Cornus is from the Latin cornus and has reference to the
horny texture of the wood.
The mountain dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), a deciduous native species, is
one of the finest for ornamental planting. In favorable situations it grows to a
height of about fifty feet, and in early May, when entirely covered with
great white bracts, it is most attractive. In the fall, when laden with orange-
colored fruit, it gives good effects in shrubberies.
The evergreen dogwood (Cornus capitata) from the Himalayas is a splen-
did shrub which reaches a height of about fifteen feet. The flowers are large
and cream-colored, followed by large, red, showy fruits. It is a rare plant
at present, but on account of its hardiness and beauty, will be widely grown
when better known.
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ELMS
The elms belong to the genus Ulmus, a Latin word which carries a ref-
erence to an-instrument of punishment, probably because slaves were commonly
whipped with rods of elm. There are about eighteen species distributed
through the colder and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Few
of our trees have a wider distribution. The elms are mostly tall trees with
medium sized leaves, and small greenish brown flowers that appear mostly be-
fore the leaves. They have graceful outlines and luxuriant foliage which gives
them a dignified and courtly appearance. They are often called the aristocrats
of trees.
The Wych elm of England used to be considered a preservative against
witchcraft, and a branch was put in a churn to prevent the cream from being
bewitched and the coming of the butter hindered. The forked branches of the
tree were used as divining rods, and riding switches from it were supposed to
insure good luck on a journey.
Early English peoples worshipped their heathen deities in elm groves
which led the Saxon King Edgar to issue the following decree :
"We decree that every priest shall anxiously advance Christianity
and forbid tree-worship, divination, with the dead, omens, chorus with
songs, and many other illusions which are practiced in asylums on Elms
and on various other trees, by which many are perverted who ought not
to be so."
The American elm is closely associated with early colonial history. In
"The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," Oliver Wendell Holmes characteristi-
cally describes it:
"The American elm is tall, graceful, slender-sprayed, and drooping
as if from languor. The English elm is compact, robust, holds its
branches up, and carries its leaves for weeks longer than our own
native tree. Is this typical of the creative force on the two sides of the
ocean, or not?"
English people used to gather under elms on the village greens to debate
public questions. This old custom probably led the early settlers in New
England to plant elms in their dooryards and on the village greens, and to
regard them as symbols of liberty. Liberty Elms were_ planted in Boston,
5—11898 (65)
Providence, Newport and New York. The Providence elm was dedicated to
the "Sons of Liberty" on July 25, 1 768, in words which were in part as follows :
"We do, in the name and behalf of all true sons of liberty in
America, Great Britain, Ireland, Corsica, or wheresoever they may be
dispersed throughout the world dedicate this tree of liberty * * *.
When they look toward this sacred elm may they be penetrated with a
sense of their duty to themselves and their posterity, and may they,
like the house of David, grow stronger, while their enemies, like the
house of Saul, shall grow weaker and weaker."
A few years later on July 3, 1775, George Washington assumed com-
mand of the Continental Army under an elm at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The "Treaty Tree," under which William Penn concluded a treaty with
the Indians, was an elm. This tree, which was destroyed by a storm a century
ago, has been immortalized in the famous painting by Benjamin West.
AMERICAN ELM
American elm ( Ulmus americana) is a striking tree at all seasons of the
year. In the winter its graceful limbs stand out against the sky. In the spring
it is one of the first trees to blossom. Tiny reddish-brown blossoms appear,
shortly followed by the fruit, which is surrounded by flat, oval-shaped wings
which later help to scatter it from the parent tree. The fruit matures about
the time the leaves begin to unfold and when summer comes the tree rises
like a great fountain of brilliant green.
New England is noted for its magnificent elms which were planted by the
early settlers. New Haven is known as the Elm City because of the many
stately elms that line its streets. Connecticut is noted for its elms, the largest
being the Wethersfield Elm in Hartford County. This tree, which is 250
years old, is ninety-seven feet high and has a circumference of twenty-eight
feet and a branch spread of 147 feet. On the White House grounds at Wash-
ington stands a noble elm planted by John Quincy Adams when he was
President.
New Englanders brought the elm with them to the Middle West, where
many of the towns and cities have their streets lined with this beautiful
tree.
Indiana's most famous tree is the Constitutional Elm, located at Corydon.
On June 10, 1816, members of the Constitutional Convention met beneath
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Plate 49. SWAMP MAHOGANY. Los Angeles.
This species of eucalyptus has been widely planted a; a street tree because of its symmetrical growth, white
flowers and glossy foliage.
Plate 50. SCARLET-FLOWERING GUM. Pasadena.
One of the most ornamental of the eucalypts because of its large, leathery leaves and handsome crimson flowers.
this tree, which is a few hundred feet from the first State House. This tree
now has a spread of 124 feet.
Thanks to the foresight of some of her early settlers, some of the cities
in northern California, notably Sacramento and Chico, have many stately
specimens on their streets. Had these pioneers planted rapid growing but
short lived trees like poplars or soft maples there would now be straggling,
dying trees instead of picturesque old elms forming Gothic archways like
cathedral naves.
With all its advantages, the American elm has some objectionable fea-
tures, such as its suckering habit and its susceptibility to the attack of insect
pests. It does not appear, however, to be as badly attacked by pests in Cali-
fornia as in the Eastern States, where the gypsy moth, brown-tail moth and
elm-leaf beetle are causing so much trouble. Its chief enemies in this state
are aphids. This pest does not attack the English elm to any extent, which
often leads to its choice over the American elm.
The value of shade trees such as the elm can hardly be estimated. Not
long ago a well known landscape architect, who had charge of laying out one
of the most famous estates in America, was asked how much a certain tree
was worth. "Worth," he said emphatically, "It is worth the whole place,
for it is creative of beauty, and around that tree I build everything."
Only recently the Bronx Parking Commission in New York City went
to the heavy expense of constructing protective channels for the roots of a
large elm tree in order to relieve them from pressure from a thirty foot retain-
ing wall which otherwise would have caused the tree to die.
ENGLISH ELM
English elm (Ulmus camjpestris) has a smaller and more rounded head
than the American elm, and retains its foliage later in the season. It is a
favorite tree in England where it is widely planted. The famous "Long Walk"
in Windsor Park is lined by this handsome and imposing tree which Boulger
well describes in the following words:
"When bare of leaves, and standing black against a dull wintry
sky, the tiny twiglets on the topmost boughs appear as delicate lace-
work, far exceeding in fineness the minutest ornament of the Gothic
architect, and yet graduating downwards into mighty beams, so as to
suggest at once the strength of Nature's framework and the delicacy of
her finish." (67)
The eighteenth of April is termed Ulmifrondes in the south of England,
for then the tree is generally in full foliage. In August and September, when
other trees are changing hue, the English elm retains its sombre green foliage,
and it is not until after all its neighbors have shed their leaves, that its leaves
begin to fade and fall.
When planted in California the English elm makes an erect, rapid-growing
tree, which is remarkably free from the insect pests so common to the American
elm. It stands drought well, and because of this quality as well as its long
life, neatness and symmetry, is an excellent tree for street and highway-
planting. Its chief objections are the suckers which spring in great abundance
around the base of the trunk. Browning refers to them as "the brush-wood
sheaf round the elm tree bole."
HUNTINGTON ELM
The Huntington elm ( Ulmus glabra vegeta) is a hybrid elm of erect habit
and rapid, vigorous growth. The large green leaves make a dense foliage which is
very attractive. This elm is excellent for street and highway planting because
of its resistance to drought and insect enemies.
EMPRESS TREE
The Empress tree (Paulownia imperialis) takes its generic name after
Anna Paulownia, a Russian princess. It is a native of China and greatly re-
sembles the catalpa, the chief difference being in the shape of the pods. It
reaches a height of about forty feet and has stout spreading branches which
form a round head. The heart shaped leaves are large and tropical looking.
The lavender flowers, which resemble those of the foxglove, appear in large
terminal panicles followed by pods that remain on the tree during the winter.
This tree is adopted for semitropical effects and makes a good growth on
fertile soil. It is very subject to sunburn, however, and should be planted
where it will be well sheltered.
EUCALYPTUS
The genus Eucalpytus, which is native to Australia and the Malayan
region, embraces about 300 species, one hundred or more of which have been
introduced into California. The name is derived from the Greek words eu,
meaning well, and kalypto, to cover as with a lid. The last term has reference
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Plate 51. BLUE GUM. San Luis Obispo.
Its light bluish-green foliage gives this tree its common name. It is the best known species of eucalyptus in California
and grows rapdly in favorable situations.
Plate 52. EMPRESS TREE. San Luis Obispo.
Named after a Russian princess. It has heart-shaped leaves and lavender flowers which resemble those of the
foxglove.
to the conical, lid-like covering of the buds which falls off before the flowers
open. Most of the eucalypts secrete resinous gums, hence they are commonly
known as gum trees.
Eucalyptus has been established successfully in semitropical and tem-
perate regions all over the world. It is frequently planted in the malarial
regions of warm climates, as at the Campagna at Rome, to drain the swamps
which give rise to malaria, but its greatest value is for ornament, shade,
windbreaks and fuel. In Australia it is extensively cut for lumber, but it has
not been generally successful in this country for that purpose on account of
the checking which takes place in seasoning due to the high water content of
the wood.
Eucalyptus was introduced into California in the early fifties by travelers
who were impressed with its rapid development in its native habitat. The first
plantations were around San Francisco Bay and in the Santa Clara Valley.
About 1865, Mr. Elwood Cooper set out large plantations on his ranch near
Santa Barbara. Since that time it has been extensively planted in various
parts of the state as ornamental and shade trees.
It was early found that all species were sensitive to frost although a few
species will endure temperatures as low as eighteen degrees Fahrenheit without
injury. In general, eucalyptus can be successfully planted in all sections of
the state suitable for the culture of citrus fruits. Under favorable conditions
the trees reach a large size in a short space of time.
All species of eucalypts have evergreen leaves, and for this reason are not
as desirable for highway planting as deciduous trees, because they hinder the
road-bed from drying. In addition, the strong development of the roots im-
pairs the fertility of adjoining land. For this reason many rows of eucalyptus
trees bordering citrus groves in southern California have been cut down.
There are many locations, however, where the eucalypts find favor in spite of
these objections because of the fine effect which they give, and because of
their value for fuel. Many of the eucalypts sprout prolifically when cut and
produce firewood at a rapid rate, at the same time providing ornament and
shade.
Because of the many species of eucalypts found in the state, no attempt
is being made to consider them all in this publication. Only those are given
which appear preferable for shade and ornamental purposes.
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BLUE GUM
Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) is the best known species in California,
and derives its name from the light bluish-green color of its juvenile foliage.
It is probably the fastest grower of any of the eucalypts. In Australia the
usual height is over 200 feet. In California trees thirty years old have at-
tained the height of 1 50 feet and a diameter of from three to four feet under
good soil and moisture conditions.
Blue gum reaches its best development along the coast and river bottoms
where moisture is plentiful and foggy days frequent. It is frequently found
in the towns of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, however, and en-
dures frost as far north as Tehama County.
Individuals of this species grow straight as a rule and develop handsome,
globular heads. On old trees, the leaves are elongated, sickle-shaped and
dark green on both sides. The white flowers which appear from January to
May give rise to a dark green valve shaped fruit.
Although blue gum is a beautiful tree, its size makes it unsuitable for
street planting because of the damage which it eventually does to curbs and
sidewalks and the invasion of sewers by its roots. It is best adapted to wide
boulevards where it can develop without interfering with adjoining improve-
ments.
RED GUM
Red gum (Eucalyptus rostrata) is almost as fast a grower as blue gum
and has the advantages of being able to stand more cold in its youth as well as
more drought. This makes it a good choice for interior sections where there is
considerable range in temperatures. Its chief objection is that it does not tend
to grow erect even in close plantings.
The twigs of old trees have a reddish hue, and the trunks are dark gray,
and the head broad. The leaves are elongated and narrow, and the white
flowers which appear in May and June are borne in clusters. Red gum at-
tains considerable size under a wide variety of soils even when some alkali
is present, and forms a large percentage of plantations in the northern part of
the state.
MANNA GUM
Manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) is a handsome tree with long pendu-
lous branches which makes it picturesque for boulevard planting. The bark is
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Plate 53. DOUGLAS FIR. Sacramento.
An important western timber tree that has value for ornamental purposes because of its rapid growth and soft,
dark green foliage.
Plate 54. SPANISH FIR. Burlingamc.
A small tree which is of interest because of its rigid acute leaves which entirely surround the branchlets.
shed each year at the blooming period of the tree. It will thrive under a variety
of conditions, but prefers a deep, well-drained soil. The species is widely
planted ki the San Joaquin Valley. There is a tree near Reedley in Tulare
County on which records have been kept since it was planted in 1889. The
last measurement taken in 1916 gives the height of this tree as 1 30 feet and the
circumference as twenty-three feet at three feet above the ground.
The manna gum stands as low temperatures as the red gum and blue
gum and is found in a flourishing condition in the vicinity of Chico. Its chief
objection is the shedding of the bark.
LEMON-SCENTED GUM
Lemon-scented gum (Eucalyptus citriodora) is unique for its smooth,
ivory white, tapering trunk and for its lemon-scented foliage. It has an erect
habit of growth and its drooping branches with their long, narrow leaves give
it a weeping effect which makes it attractive as an ornamental.
This species is limited to the warmer parts of the state because of its in-
ability to stand much frost. Some fine specimens are found in San Diego and
Los Angeles. It requires a fairly good well-drained soil for best results, but
will grow on any tillable soil free from alkali.
DESERT GUM
Desert gum (Eucalyptus rudis) is a medium-sized tree from seventy-five
to one hundred feet in height with a rough, persistent bark and a drooping
branch habit. It grows erect and the oval shaped foliage is thick and strongly
scented. It is one of the best of the eucalypts for street planting because of
its compact habit and persistent bark. Its name is given it for its hardiness
in irrigated sections of the desert.
SUGAR GUM
Sugar gum (Eucalyptus -corynocalyx) reaches its best development in
the southern part of the state. In the interior valleys it has not proven frost
resistant. It is very resistant to drought and hot winds, and thrives equally
well on the coast and in the southern interior valleys.
The bark, which flakes off on older trees, varies in color from a cream to a
dark gray. The leaves are ovate, dark green on the upper side and lighter in
color beneath. The growth is erect with a symmetrical, well balanced crown.
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It is widely used as a street tree at San Diego and for wind breaks near River-
side and San Bernardino. It tends to become straggling with age.
SCARLET-FLOWERING GUM
Scarlet-flowering gum (Eucalyptus ficifolia ) is an ornamental species with
large, leathery, wavy-margined leaves and handsome crimson flowers. It is
of slow growth and is well adapted for streets where there is no danger of
injuring the sidewalks with its roots. It is a common ornamental tree in the
southern part of the state and a very fine honey producing plant.
WHITE IRONBARK
White ironbark (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) is a fairly tall tree which branches
well down the trunk. The deciduous bark of the old trees varies from a
cream to a very dull gray. This species reaches its greatest development
along the coast and localities where there is plenty of rain, but will with-
stand drought conditions at temperatures of fifteen to twenty degrees Fahren-
heit. A variety "rosea" of this species has beautiful pink flowers, and can be
grown in localities where the scarlet-flowering gum will not thrive.
AUSTRALIAN BEECH
Australian beech (Eucalyptus polyanthema), commonly called the "red
box," varies from a small to a large sized tree. The bark is rough and per-
sistent and the foliage has a distinctive gray-green color. It grows near the
coast, but will do well in the interior. It has considerable ornamental value
because of its round leaves of silvery lustre, and has small white flowers which
occur in large clusters.
SPOTTED GUM
Spotted gum (Eucalyptus calophylla) is a moderate sized tree which
thrives in most instances near the coast. It is one of the most ornamental
species with its large glossy leaves and large white flowers, which are valuable
for bees. It is easily affected by frost and does not do well except in southern
California.
EUGENIA
The name of the genus Eugenia is in honor of Prince Eugene of Savoy.
It includes a large number of shrubs and plants mostly from the tropics, in-
cluding the trees that produce the allspice and clove of commerce.
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P:ate 55. WHITE FIR. Miles.
A fir common to the Sierras of California. It is ofte i called "silver fir" because of its ashy-grey bark. It has
a very regular and symmetrical growth.
: '
Plate 56. NORDMAN'S SILVER FIR. Del Monte.
A native of the Caucasus Mountains with lustrous foliage, dark-green above and silvery underneath. It is one
of the best firs for ornamental purposes because of its hardiness.
Plate 57. FLAME TREE. Coronaclo.
A tree from Australia that takes its name from its scarlet flowers which are produced in showy clusters.
I
o
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M
2
The Australian brush cherry (Eugenia myrtifolia) is probably the best
species for planting in this state, since it can be grown as a shrub or tree.
It is a smair evergreen tree with many myrtle-like glossy green leaves. The
young foliage shoots are red and form a pleasing contrast with the older leaves.
The myrtle-like blossoms, which are creamy in color, occur in profusion,
followed by reddish globular-shaped fruit. The form of this tree is columnar
and the growth is fairly rapid. In southern California a height of forty feet
in twenty years was reached by one tree noted at Coronado. Eugenia stands
pruning well and is often planted close together to form tall, narrow hedges.
It should make a splendid street tree in most parts of the state where the frosts
are not too severe, because of its many admirable qualities. It is particularly
adapted to narrow streets where heavy shade is not desired. It sometimes
is defoliated by cold north winds so should be used with caution in exposed
places.
GOLDEN CHAIN
The golden chain (Laburnum vulgare) is one of the most ornamental of
small trees. It is a native of the mountainous woods of Central Europe which
it graces with its smooth, shiny leaves and long pendent racemes of yellow
"golden chain" flowers.
All the green parts of the tree are poisonous, which was known to Pliny,
who stated that the bees never touched its blossoms. The wood is tough and
hard and was used for bows by the ancient Gauls.
The golden chain grows erect and reaches a height of twenty to thirty
feet. It has an 'irregular picturesque head, smooth olive-green bark, and small
clover-like leaves. The hanging clusters of fragrant golden blossoms which
are set so thickly upon the tree that the foliage is well-nigh hidden, are the
chief charm of the tree.
This tree is adapted to small lawns or borders of shrubbery where it should
be allowed enough space to show its golden blossoms as a contrast to the dark-
green foliage. It thrives on well-drained soils, particularly in the southern
part of the state. An interesting feature of this tree is the expelling of the seed
from pods on dry days with considerable force and a noticeable crackling
noise.
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HAWTHORNS
The hawthorns belong to the Rose tribe and owe their name Cralaegus
(from the Greek, kratos, strength) to the density and strength of their wood.
The genus includes more than one hundred and fifty species, which have a
northern range in Europe, Asia and North America.
Hawthorns are among the most showy of the smaller deciduous trees
due to their foliage, flowers and fruit. The deep glossy green foliage holds
its color until late in the fall when it turns to various brilliant autumn colors.
The flowers, which are white, pink and scarlet, are double and rose-like in
some species. The fruit is apple-like, yellow or red, and hangs late into the
fall. Most of the hawthorns are spiny.
The hawthorn, which is also known as May, Whitethorn and Albespeine,
is deeply enshrined in the traditions of England where it has been a char-
acteristic tree from the earliest days. The Greeks regarded it as the emblem
of hope, and it was carried in their wedding processions, and used to deck the
altar of Hymen. Its symbolism underwent a change in mediaeval times,
however, owing to the belief that Christ was crowned with the branches of
this tree, a belief that is quaintly told by Sir John Mandeville:
"Then was our Lord yled into a gardyn, and there the Jews scorned
hym, and maden hym a crown of the branches of the Albiespyne, that
is Whitethorn, that grew in the same gardyn, and setten yt upon hys
heved. And therefore hath the Whitethorn many virtues. For he
that beareth a branch on hym thereof, no thundre, ne no maner of tem-
pest, may dere hym, ne in the howse that yt is ynne may non evil ghost
enter."
•
The Holy Crown was reverently preserved at Constantinople for a
time, but it was pledged to the Venetians as a bond for a large sum of money.
It was acquired by St. Louis of France in the thirteenth century, who built
the beautiful Sainte Chapelle for it at Paris. There is a legend that when the
Emperor Charlemagne knelt before the relic in the eighth century, it blossomed
afresh and the scent of hawthorn filled the air.
The celebrated Glastonbury Thorn of England is supposed to have sprung
over night from the staff of St. Joseph of Arimathaea. It blossoms early in
the year, sometimes as early as Christmas day, supposedly in honor of the
Divine birth.
(74)
Plate 59. ENGLISH HAWTHORN. Del Monte.
"In hawthorn time the heart is light.
The world is sweet in sound and sight.
Glad thoughts and birds take flower and flight."
—Swinburne.
Henry VII adopted hawthorn for his badge because at the battle of Bos-
worth Field the crown of England was stolen from Richard III and hidden
in a hawthorn. It was found, however, and the placing of it on the head of
Henry immediately after its recovery gave rise to the old proverb, "Cleave to
the crown though it hang on a bush."
No hardy flowering tree gives a finer color effect than the hawthorn, and
it is widely used for ornamental purposes. It also makes an attractive street
tree when small trees are desired. Its chief objection is its susceptibility to
various insects, particularly the San Jose scale. The form is rather irregular,
but can be easily trained. Hawthorns are easily transplanted, and flourish in
good stiff loam or clayey soil.
ENGLISH HAWTHORN
The English hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) is a celebrated hedge form-
ing bush which reaches a height of thirty feet as a tree. The old trees have
gnarled trunks, and thick bark scored by furrows. The branches carry short,
sharp spines and in their winter condition are dense and matted looking.
The charm of the tree is most apparent in the spring when its branches
are decked with tiny nosegays of rose-like flowers which crown the tree with
"Mays fair diadem." After the petals fall the once snowy hawthorn assumes
a crimson hue due to the myriads of red berries into which the flowers have
been transformed.
The charm of the hawthorn at all seasons of the year has endeared it to
the English people. Its place in their lives was observed by Goldsmith who
says:
"The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath its shade,
For talking age or whispering lovers made."
HICKORIES
The hickories formerly formed extensive forests in Greenland and Europe,
but no hickories are now found growing naturally outside of North America.
Eleven species are found east of the Rocky Mountains and one in Mexico.
The hickories were called walnuts by the early explorers since they resembled
the Circassian walnut with which they were familiar.
The name is taken after the Indian word "Pawcohiccora," which was a
dressing eaten with hominy, made from the milk of pounded hickory nuts.
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Captain John Smith mentions it in his account of his adventures among the
Indians.
The hickories were much prized by the Indians, who made most of their
bows and arrows from their wood. They used hickory withes to bind their
wigwam poles .together, and the nuts furnished a valuable part of their winter's
food. From the sap was made an ointment which they used to supple their
joints, and hickory ashes were used by them to preserve their meat.
The wood is very hard and tough, which may be the reason the term
"Old Hickory" was given General Andrew Jackson by the soldiers, although
this nickname may have been bestowed during the war with the Creek Indians
in 1813 when he fed his men on hickory nuts when rations were short.
The hickories have been called the "artist trees" because of their pic-
turesque appearance due to their shaggy bark, gnarled branches and stout
twigs. In the springtime they are beautiful with dainty leaves and tasseled
flowers, and in the summer their handsome light-green leaves cast a heavy
shade. When autumn comes the leaves turn to a clear yellow. There is an
old belief that if they are brilliant yellow, the next harvest will be a rich one.
The hickories reach their best development in the southern Appalachians.
The most important one is the shag bark (Hicoria ovata), which attains a
height of 1 20 feet and a diameter of three to four feet. The long, ragged
strips of bark that clothe the trunk give it its name.
All the hickories make their best growth in good, rich, bottom soil and
in sheltered situations. They are slow-growing, but form handsome broad
heads and live for many years. Very few hickories have been planted in
California, but there is no reason why they should not do well when planted
under proper conditions.
PECAN
The pecan (Hicoria pecan) is the most imposing of the hickories in its
native habitat in the Southern States, where it is found on low, rich ground
in the vicinity of streams. Near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a tree which
measures over eighteen feet in circumference at breast height and which is
over 1 50 feet in height.
There is a weird story relating to a leafless pecan tree which formerly
stood near New Orleans. In the battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815,
the British lost a number of officers among them being General Packenham.
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Plate 61. SHAG-BARK HICKORY. Berkeley.
Mature trees have shaggy bark, gnarled branches and short twigs, which has caused them to be called "artist trees"
because of their picturesque appearance.
Plate 62. HOLLY. Del Monte.
"Now of all the trees by the King's highway,
Which do you love the best?
O, the tree that is green upon Christmas day,
The bush with the bleeding heart.
Now the Holly with her drops of blood for me
For that is our dear Aunt Mary's tree."
("Aunt Mary" is a Cornish and quite reverent term of endearment for the Virgin.)
It was decided to ship their bodies to England, preserved in casks of rum.
Part of the preparation consisted in removing the internal organs, which were
buried under the pecan tree already mentioned. The story goes that this
sympathetic tree promptly dropped its leaves, and superstitious negroes for
decades pointed to blood stains on its trunk.
The pecan has much economic importance because of its nuts, which
are long, smooth, reddish and slender, and so thin-shelled that they may
sometimes be crushed with the fingers. Aside from its value as a nut-bearer,
however, the pecan is a beautiful ornamental and shade tree which well deserves
a thorough trial in California.
A tree of this species near the Bidwell residence in Chico is 120 feet
high and one of the stateliest of the many beautiful trees on the grounds.
On the Patterson ranch near Newark, Alameda County, are five specimen
trees of the King-nut (Hicoria Laciniosa) and the Shagbark hickory (Hicoria
ovata ), which were grown from nuts brought across the plains by Mr. Patterson
in the late 'fo's.
HOLLIES
The hollies belong to the genus Ilex, which is the classical name of the
evergreen oak of Southern Europe. They are small trees and shrubs which
have much ornamental value because of their evergreen spiny foliage, their
delicate, white flowers and bright red berries.
From the earliest days the holly has had a religious significance. There
is a tradition that the holly sprang up beneath the footsteps of Christ when
he first walked on earth, which led to the belief that it was reverenced by
animals, who were never known to injure it. To Christians the evergreen
leaves spoke of immortality and the blood-red berries foretold the Passion.
The Romans used holly branches in their winter festivals of Saturnalia, and
when Christianity supplanted heathen worship the custom was carried on
until now the holly is associated with Christmas festivals.
Many superstitions are connected with the use of holly at Christmas
chiefly on account of its leaves. The upper leaves on the tree tend to lose
their prickles, which are abundant on the lower leaves as a protection against
browsing animals. In the north of England the prickly leaves are known as
"He-Holly," and the smooth leaves as "She-Holly." - It is popularly believed
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that if the "He-Holly" is brought first into the house on Christmas eve the
husband will be master throughout the year, but if the "She-Holly" comes
first then the wife will run the household.
On Christmas Eye tiny pieces of lighted candle are placed on holly leaves,
which are set to float in a tub of water. Each leaf represents some person,
who gives it a wish. If the leaf remains afloat it is believed the wish will be
gratified. If it sinks, the wish will not be fulfilled.
ENGLISH HOLLY
The English holly (Hex aquifolium) is a small tree rarely exceeding forty
feet in height. It is frequently planted to form a dense prickly hedge, and it
is said that Peter the Great worked off some of his spare energy running a wheel-
barrow through such a hedge.
As a tree the holly is picturesque with its dark-green leaves, which form
a contrast with the bright greens of surrounding trees in summer and the
leafless branches in winter. It had a joyful effect on Shakespeare, who wrote:
"Heigh-Ho! the green Holly!
This life is most jolly."
Holly has a slow growth and thrives best in deep, rich soils where there
is plenty of shade and moisture. Its great shade-endurance fits it for under
planting or for grouping with other evergreen foliage.
A row of holly trees planted for ornament around two sides of a large lot
in Portland, Oregon, some years ago, has yielded Christmas decorations to the
value of over $500 per year for the last two years without injuring the trees.
HORSE CHESTNUT
The horse chestnut (Aesculus hijppocastanum) is thought to have come
originally from the mountains of Greece. It is largely planted in all countries
with temperate climates, and makes a sturdy tree of strong growth. It has a
roundish outline and a somewhat coarse branch habit with the tips of the
branches peculiarly curved upward. The tree reaches a height of about
eighty feet and has a smooth cylindrical bole which rarely exceeds two feet in
diameter.
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Plate 63. HYMENOSPORUM. Los Angeles.
An Australian tree the branches of which are laden in spring with jasmine-scented yellow flowers.
Plate 64. JACARANDA. San Diego.
A native of Brazil which does well in subtropical regions. It has finely cut fern-like foliage and large blue
bignonia-like flowers.
In the spring the large chocolate-colored buds begin to swell and the
varnished coats that protected them during the winter soften. First one
pair and then another pair of delicate green leaflets make their appearance.
"When drooping chestnut buds began
To spread into the perfect fan."
Finally there is a dense foliage of leaves, each composed of seven leaflets
arranged in a palmate manner, each broad at the outer end and tapering
towards the point of their insertion on their common leaf-stalk.
Just as the leaves are spreading themselves out of the terminal buds,
the large flower spikes rise between the last pair. When in full flower the tree
has been called the "Giant's Nosegay," while the children think of it as a huge
Christmas tree covered with white tapers.
Ln the fall the leaves become bronzed and fall, leaving horse-shoe like
scars, nail marks and all, on the branches. The large polished brown seeds
which are wrapped in leathery overcoats on the tree are not good to eat, but
children value them for their games. It is said that the Turks pounded 'them
up and fed them to their horses to improve their wind.
The horse chestnut has been successfully planted on California city streets,
particularly in Hay ward. It has been a favorite tree for avenues and parks
in Europe for centuries, one of the finest avenues in the world being in Bushey
Park, near London. Five rows of the trees stand on either side of the avenue
and when they are in bloom they afford a superb sight, "a pyramid of green
supporting a thousand pyramids of white." There are over 17,000 horse
chestnut trees on the streets of Paris. Their main objection is the continual
dropping that takes place throughout the year, either of leaves, flowers, or
nuts.
HYMENOSPORUM
The Hymenosporum (Hymenosporum flavum) is an Australian evergreen
tree or shrub which is closely related to the Pittosporums, but which excels
them in many particulars. It has a pyramidal growth with drooping branches
which are laden in spring with a profusion of jasmine shaped and jasmine
scented yellow flowers. It is a free bloomer over a long period. The leaves
are smooth, glossy and light-green in color.
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This tree has a rapid growth and its shape well adapts it for street and
garden planting. It is not particular about quality of soil, but needs a moderate
amount of moisture. At present it is quite rare, but its many good qualities
make it deserve more extensive planting. Under favorable conditions it
attains a height of about fifty feet. It cannot stand much frost, however,
which does not recommend it for the interior valleys.
JACARANDA
The jacaranda (Jacaranda ovalifolia) is a native of Brazil which does
well in subtropical regions. It reaches a height of about fifty feet and com-
mands attention in the early summer by its profusion of large blue panicles
of bignonia-like flowers and finely cut fern-like foliage. The shape of the
tree is apt to be straggling unless it is carefully pruned.
This tree is used on the streets of Santa Barbara and Pasadena with good
effect. It is too tender for regions of severe frost, and thrives best in warmer
situations sheltered from strong winds.
JERUSALEM THORN
The Jerusalem thorn (Parkinsonia aculeata) takes its generic name
after John Parkinson, an English botanical author and herbalist to James I.
It grows naturally in Texas, Arizona and Mexico and is cultivated in many
warm countries as an ornamental small tree and to form hedges.
It is a thorny evergreen tree with feathery drooping branches and fra-
grant yellow flowers borne on racemes. It reaches a height of about fifteen
feet under cultivation, the pendulous branches forming a wide, graceful
head. The pods, commonly known as horse beans, which are constricted
between the seeds, hang in graceful racemes from the tree.
This tree, which belongs to the same tribe as the honey locust, will thrive
in the driest soil and can endure considerable cold.
EUROPEAN LAUREL
The European laurel, commonly known as the sweet bay, was regarded
by ancient peoples as an emblem of truth and it was forbidden to put it to
any profane use. It was a favorite tree of poets and scholars, and graduates
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of universities were known as "laureates" because of the wreaths of laurel
with which. they were crowned.
A Greek myth relates that Apollo, after slaying the Python, fled for puri-
fication to the laurel groves of the vale of Tempe. While here he fell in love
with the nymph Daphne who fled from him. She prayed for deliverance to
her mother Earth, who heard her and opened the ground so that she might
hide. On this spot there sprang up a laurel tree which Apollo declared to be
sacred. Afterwards when he instituted the Pythian games at Delphi to com-
memorate his victory over Python, the prizes awarded the victors were made
from the leaves and berries of the laurel.
An English writer writes about the laurel as follows :
"The sweet bay bush in the farmer's or cottage garden comes with
its story from the streams of Greece, where it seeks moisture in a thirsty
land along with the wild olive and the arbutus. And this sweet bay is
the laurel of the poets, of the first and greatest of all poet and artist
nations of the earth — the laurel sacred to Apollo, and used in many
ways in his worship, as we may see on coins, and in many other things
that remain to us of the great peoples of the past."
The Romans believed that the laurel afforded protection against lightning,
and the Emperor Tiberius, when it thundered, wore a laurel wreath made
from the tree at the imperial villa on the Flaminian Way.
There are only two species of the genus Laurus, one native to the Mediter-
ranean region and one to the Canary Islands. The Sweet Bay (Laurus no-
bilis) reaches a height of from forty to sixty feet. It branches close to the
ground and bears dark green, oblong leaves which give a heavy shade.
The laurel is most commonly grown as a tub plant, with which to decorate
porches and formal gardens. The head can be trimmed to any shape desired,
which makes the tree in demand by architects for the proper setting of their
building designs. The trees will do well in the open since they stand consider-
able frost and heat.
EUROPEAN LINDEN
The European linden (Tilia europea), which is a celebrated street tree
of Europe, is similar to_the American basswood, but has smaller, deeper green
leaves and red or yellow_branches. This tree is commonly called "Lime Tree,"
6—11898 (81)
which name was derived from the old English word "lyne" meaning pliant,
in reference to the tough fibres of the inner bark which furnished the bast of
gardeners.
The linden is a stately tree with heart-shaped leaves which led the poet
Heine to say :
"Therefore are the lindens ever
Chosen seats of each fond lover."
A striking feature of the tree is the downward droop of the buds which
affords better protection for the young and tender leaves. The trees are
straight-stemmed with smooth bark and when fully developed are from
eighty to ninety feet in height. Germany is noted for its lindens, one of the
most famous being a tree nine feet in diameter at Neustadt in Winternberg
and which gave it the name of "Neustadt an der grossen Linden."
The flowers are yellowish-green and very fragrant, which makes them
attractive to bees. The flowers are followed by small berries, which are often
conspicuous because of the peculiar blade-like structure from which they
grow, which aids in their distribution by the wind.
Mythology has a story to account for the existence of the linden. It is
related that an aged shepherd and his wife once entertained Jupiter and
Mercury unawares. When their guests declared themselves, the aged couple
were asked to claim a reward and they chose that they should each become a
verdant linden. Hence, the linden has become the symbol of wedded love.
Lindens were extensively planted in 1660 in England at the instigation of
John Evelyn, who said "Is there a more ravishing or delightful object than to
behold some entire streets and whole towns planted with these trees in even
lines before their doors, so that they seem like cities in a wood?"
Luther Burbank regards the linden as one of the best trees to plant in
the coast region. In the interior valleys, it does not do well because of the
high temperatures which sometimes prevail.
MADRONA
Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) is a handsome native tree which belongs to
an ancient genus frequently mentioned by the classical writers of Greece
and Italy. Theophrastus describes the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) as a
tree possessing an edible fruit like unto a strawberry, a smooth bark, and a
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Plate 66. JERUSALEM THORN. Pasadena.
A thorny evergreen tree with feathery drooping branches and fragrant yellow flowers.
leaf intermediate between the oak and the bay laurel. Each blossom, he says,
equals in six and form a long myrtle blossom, so that it is formed like an egg-
shell cut in half. Ovid celebrates its loads of "blushing fruit," and Horace, in
his first Ode, expresses his delight in lying with limbs stretched beneath a green
arbutus.
The madrona of California was given its name by the Spanish Cali-
fornians after the arbute tree of Spain which they knew as madrona. It was
first collected in 1791 by Menzies, and was one of the first Pacific Coast trees
to be described by botanists.
Madrona is widely distributed in the coast mountains, and occurs on the
west slopes of the Sierras, and in the San Bernardino Mountains. On the north
coast, where it reaches a height of 125 feet and a diameter of four feet, it is
found on the slopes with redwood, Douglas fir, tan oak and black oak. The
beauty of its foliage, flowers, and trunk are sources of never-failing interest to
the traveler.
. The madrona is very little known to cultivation but should make a
strong appeal to Californians. Professor W. L. Jepson of the University of
California speaks of it as follows:
"That madrona has thus far no place in California gardens is
partly to be explained by the unhappy preference for exotics and be-
cause the tree as it grows in its native woods is little known to the
people. For beyond any peradventure of doubt it is the most handsome
tree in California and enlivens the forest and groves with its unrivaled
woodland colors. Of slight economic importance as a timber species,
it is in every other way a notable tree. Its crown of flowers and masses
of crimson berries, its burnished foliage and terra-cotta bark, its manner
of branching and habits of growth are alike full of interest and of
charm."
MAGNOLIAS
The magnolias, which belong to a family of very ancient lineage, are
widely distributed, species being found in the Himalayas, China, Central
America and southeastern United States. The genus is named in honor of
Pierre Magnol, professor of botany at Montpellier in France.
There are seven species of magnolia in southeastern United States, several
of them being timber trees of consequence. They flourish in rich, moist soil
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along rivers and swamps, and command attention by their large, showy flowers
and glossy green leaves clustered on the ends of the branches. Some of the
species keep their leaves throughout the year, while others are deciduous.
The branch habit is generally open and straggling, although some species have
shapely outlines. Magnolias stand some frost, but long periods of severe
cold are detrimental.
There formerly stood near Charleston, South Carolina, a stately magnolia
which was known as the Magnolia Council Tree. It was under this tree in
1780 that council was taken with the people of Charleston by General Lincoln.
They were told that the enemy had been strongly reenforced and that further
defence of the city seemed hopeless. He was prevailed upon to stay, but was
forced to surrender three weeks later. This tree was felled in 1849 by a farmer
for firewood.
LAUREL-LEAVED MAGNOLIA
The laurel-leaved magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), also called Bull
Bay, is a well known tree of splendid appearance which is widely known as
an ornamental tree. It is the most magnificent of the broad-leaved ever-
greens of the Southern States, where it reaches a height of eighty feet. The
growth is slow but erect, and at maturity the crown reaches such a size as to
render the tree suitable only for wide streets, even though for years, owing to
its slow growth, it may appear to be inadequate. The chief drawback to its
use for street and avenue planting is the continuous litter which it makes.
The laurel-leaved magnolia has large, leathery, glossy, green leaves which
form a heavy mantle throughout the year. The great attraction of the tree
is its lemon-scented waxen white flowers which are six to ten inches broad.
In the spring this magnolia presents a striking picture with its many hundreds
of these showy flowers. Just before the bud matures to a perfect flower it has a
beautiful oval figure resembling a half opened rosebud. In a few hours the large
petals unfold into a flower in the center of which is a small cone of delicate
green shade. No bloom of any tree is so large and fragrant, yet so delicate
and beautiful. After the flowers are gone a cone develops with seeds the size
and shape of beans. A perfume is made from these seeds which possesses
the same sweet, delicate scent as the flower.
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Plate 67. JUNIPER. Sacramento.
An evergreen tree with very glaucous foliage. Although it is a conifer, yet it does not bear cones, but berry-like fruits.
Plate 68. EUROPEAN LAUREL. Sacramento.
Laurel leaves in olden times were believed to communicate the spirit of poetry. Hence the custom of crowning
the poets and of putting laurel leaves under one's pillow to acquire inspiration.
CHINESE MAGNOLIAS
The Chinese magnolias are deciduous and have entirely different habits
than the evergreen magnolias. They are shrublike in character, and are
prized for the profusion and beauty of their early flowers. The buds form in
the fall and open in the early spring before the leaves appear. There are
many species arid varieties, varying chiefly in color and size of the flower.
Wherever magnolia is planted care should be taken to supply it with an
abundance of water; otherwise, the foliage will lose its richness of color and
the growth will be perceptibly retarded.
MAPLES
Acer, the scientific name of the maple family, means hard or sharp, and
was given to the maple by the ancients because of its hard wood which they
prized for making their weapons.
One of the maples is called Sycamore in England. This name arose from
the practice of using the tree in mystery plays in the Middle Ages to represent
the true sycamore which Zacchaeus climbed to see Christ at the time of his
triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Virgil celebrates the maple as the throne on which Evander seated Aeneas :
"On sods of turf he sat the soldiers round ;
A maple throne, raised high above the ground
Received the Trojan chief; and, o'er the bed,
A lion's shaggy hide for ornament they spread."
The maples embrace sixty to seventy species of large, medium and small
sized trees. They have a wide range and are adaptive to a variety of soils.
The flowers are small but are attractive in early flowering species since they
appear in great profusion in the form of drooping clusters. The foliage has a
pleasing diversity of shape and color, generally turning into brilliant tints in
the autumn. Tennyson describes the maple as burning itself away until all
the woodside glows in the fitful sunshine like dead gold.
In some species the young fruits which have two seeds joined, Siamese-
twin fashion, assume a deep red color which led Emerson to say :
"The scarlet maple keys betray
What potent blood hath modest May."
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Perhaps the red and scarlet coloring of the maples has something to do
with the name "Grief Trees" given to certain trees in the West of Scotland,
but more particularly because it was on these trees that the barons used to
hang their enemies.
The maples are valuable trees for park and street planting. The ma-
jority have an upright habit, make rapid growth and are little subject to
insect attacks. They do not flourish, however, under arid conditions.
SUGAR MAPLE
The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) which has a natural range from
Newfoundland to Georgia, and westward to Manitoba and Texas, is a hardy,
erect tree of symmetrical habit. In the forest it rises to sixty or seventy feet
without a branch. In the open it develops stout, upright branches about
ten feet from the ground which form a narrow head while the tree is young.
Old trees have broad, round-topped crowns which cast a dense shade.
Sugar maple requires a cool climate and abundant moisture for its best
development. Unfortunately it is apt not to thrive in cities because of its exact-
ing requirements, and the sensitiveness of its foliage to dust and smoke. It
should do well in the northern part of California as a roadside tree for which it
is desirable because of its fine foliage and long life. The winter condition of
the sugar maple is especially striking when the erect, shapely outline of the
tree is clearly brought out with the twigs and branches forming a fine network
against the sky.
BIG-LEAF MAPLE
The big-leaf maple (Acer macro phyllum), often called Oregon maple, is
a native tree which is widely distributed along the streams and creeks in the
Coast ranges from southern California to southeastern Alaska. It is also
found in the Sierra Nevadas along streams at elevations ranging from 2000
to 5000 feet.
The big-leaf maple was first collected by the Lewis and Clark expedition
in 1805 at the great rapids of the Columbia River. Its wood was used by the
Indians for .boat paddles, and the twigs were valued as medicine to bring
riches. The beauty of the tree was early appreciated, and it is probably more
widely planted as a street and ornamental tree on the Pacific Coast than any
other maple.
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Plate 69. EUROPEAN LINDEN. Del Monte.
"Here a linden tree stood, bright'ning
all adown its silver rind."
— Browning.
• Plate 70. BLACK LOCUST. Merced.
A tree native to Eastern United States which is known in Europe as the false acacia because of its resemblance to
the true acacias. It is hardy over a wide range of soil and moisture conditions.
Strikingly characteristic of the tree are its dark-green, deeplyrlobed leaves
which are roundish in outline and from three to twelve inches broad. The
young branches are bluish and rather stout in appearance. Big-leaf maple
has an average height of sixty-five feet at maturity, grows rapidly, and is well
adapted for street planting. In Berkeley it has done remarkably well, par-
ticularly on Piedmont avenue. It has also been successfully planted as a
park tree in southern California. Because of its broad head, it needs con-
siderable space for development.
NORWAY MAPLE
The Norway maple {Acer platanoides) has not been thoroughly tried out
in California, but should do well in sections of the state where it will not be
subjected to high temperatures and arid conditions.
Norway maple came from Europe, where it withstands city conditions
well, and seems to have remarkable resistance to insect attacks. Its symmetri-
cal, somewhat drooping shape, attractive yellow flowers, its broad dark-green
foliage, turning to brilliant golden yellow in late autumn, makes it an attrac-
tive tree the year round. The growth is compact and vigorous, and it will
thrive in almost any soil. It has a rich appearance, and a long leaf period,
which makes it attractive on a street where other deciduous trees begin to
show the waning of summer.
MAYTEN
The may ten (Maytenus boaria) is a graceful evergreen tree from Chile
which does especially well along the coast and in southern California. It is a
slender tree, rarely exceeding thirty feet in height, with delicate smilax-like
foliage, which is effectively used for interior decorations. The flowers are
small and greenish and the fruit scarlet.
The rounded top, pendent twigs, and graceful habit of this tree har-
monizes well with other shrubs and trees on lawns. It has been little used
as a street tree, but should prove useful on wide streets where evergreens are
desired. There is a tendency for the central shaft to divide into several
branches, but this may be remedied by pruning.
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MULBERRY
The mulberry is largely cultivated in many countries for its leaves which
are the best food for the silk-worm. The white mulberry (Moms alba) is a
native of northern China and Japan, and the black mulberry (Morus nigra)
probably had its origin in Persia.
There is an interesting myth which accounts for the color of the fruit of
the mulberry. Ovid relates that Thisbe was pursued by a lioness whose mouth
was bloody from the recent slaughter of an ox. Pyramus, her lover, coming
to the rendezvous and finding her blood-stained garments, thought her dead
and killed himself at the foot of a mulberry tree; and Thisbe, returning, did
the same. The poet states that the fruit of the tree till then was snow white,
but when the lovers' blood flowed over its roots and was absorbed into the
sap, the fruit took on a sable hue.
The Israelites regarded the mulberry as a medium of communication
between God and man. David, when he inquired of the Lord how and when
he should attack the Philistines, was told :
"Thou shall not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and
come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when
thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees,
that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then shall the Lord go out
before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines."
A famous old mulberry tree in North London, under which 144 years
ago it is said the American Declaration of Independence was first read in
England, recently fell under the weight of its age. American Boy Scouts
attending the Industrial Scout Conference recently held in London, visited
the tree a few days before it fell and were told its history beneath its branches.
The red mulberry (Morus rubra), which is native to Eastern United
States, is planted to some extent as a shade tree in Calfiornia. It grows to a
height of about sixty feet, and has a wide-spreading habit. It furnishes abun-
dant shade in a comparatively short time, but the litter made by the fruit
makes it objectionable as a street tree. Its value as a highway tree is also
questionable because of its irregular tendency of growth.
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Plate 71. HONEY LOCUST. Visalia.
An Appalachian tree with finely-divided foliage, sharp thorns and fragrant greenish flowers followed by large brown pods.
Plate 73. MADRONA. Sacramento.
"Captain of the western wood,
Thou that apest Robin Hood!
Green above thy scarlet hose,
How thy velvet mantle shows:
Never tree like thee arrayed,
O thou gallant of the glade."
— Bret Harte.
Plate 74.' BULL BAY MAGNOLIA. Sacramento.
A beautiful tree from the Southern States which lines many streets and avenues in California.
OAKS
The oaks, which belong to the genus Quercus, embrace about 300 species
which are distributed through the colder and temperate regions of the northern
hemisphere and in the mountains of the tropics. They include both evergreen
and deciduous trees and as a rule are of a stately habit with stout, wide-
spreading branches. The leaves are medium sized usually more or less lobed.
The fruit is a globular to oblong acorn set in a scaly cup.
The oak stands as a symbol of strength and endurance, and in England,
particularly, is associated with the triumphs of Englishmen with "hearts of
oak." In the days of old, the oak was closely associated with the worship of
the gods and known as "Jove's own tree." The oak of Zeus at Dondona was
believed to be the actual seat of the god whose oracular answers were given
by the rustling of the winds through leaves and branches, by the murmur of
the spring that flowed out from among its roots, or by lots drawn from an urn
placed beneath it.
In Old Testament times Isaiah rebuked the Israelites for their idols under
"every thick oak." It was "under the oak which was in Ophrah" that the
angel of the Lord came and sat, and spoke to Gideon, telling him that it was
he who was to save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Jehovah ap-
peared to Abraham beneath the oak tree in Mamre. At Shechem Joshua
"took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the Sanctuary
of the Lord.
In mediaeval times the oak was held as a sacred tree and it was thought
that a cross cut in its bark was a special protection against man and elfin
enemies. The predominance of oaks is noticeable in reading of Britain's
famous trees. This is due to their abundance and the special reverence with
which they were held by the Druids, who cut sacred mistletoe from them with
golden knives.
A famous English oak is the King's Oak at Woodstock, where it stands
on the former hunting grounds of Henry II. It was under the Parliament
Oak at Clipstone Park that Edward I is alleged to have once convened a
national assembly. An arrow glancing from an oak trunk caused the death of
one English king Oak was used by the Northmen to build their long ships,
and went into many enduring structures built by the Anglo-Saxons. In the
"Faerie Queen" Spenser speaks of "the builder oak, sole king of forests all."
(89)
The oaks are closely linked with American history. On the banks of the
river Osamece in Santo Domingo is an oak which is traditionally known as the
tree to which Columbus tied his ship when he founded the colony "Hispaniola."
The "Charter Oak" at Hartford, which fell in 1856, concealed the charter of
the Colony of Connecticut in a large cavity in its trunk until James II, who
demanded it, was driven from the English throne. A large black oak stands
near Haverstraw, New York, under which it is said "Mad" Anthony Wayne
mustered his men in preparation for his brilliant charge on Stony Point. In
the Friends' Cemetery at Salem, New Jersey, stands a massive oak the
branches of which cover a quarter of an acre. Under it the soldiers of Wash-
ington's Continental Army were drilled in Revolutionary days.
Many years ago, Senator Charles Sumner sent an acorn from an oak which
formerly overshadowed the old tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon to
the Czar of Russia. This was planted in the palace grounds at Peterhof,
and grew into a beautiful oak which has a tablet at its base bearing the follow-
ing inscription:
"The acorn planted here was taken from an oak which shades the
tomb of the celebrated and never-to-be-forgotten Washington; it is
presented to His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of all the Russians, as
a sign of the greatest respect, by an American."
Senator Hitchcock gathered acorns from this tree and sent them to
Washington. One of the small oaks grown from these acorns was planted on
April 6, 1904, in the White House grounds by President Roosevelt and is
known as the Russo-American oak.
The city of Oakland, California, took its name from the oaks among which
it was originally located. A few years ago, an oak was planted in the plaza
before the city hall in memory of Jack London, who was a native of Oakland.
Oaks are excellent street and ornamental trees. They are strong, durable,
beautiful and have few insect enemies. There is a popular notion that oaks
are slow growing trees, but it has been demonstrated that some oaks make as
rapid growth as hard maple and other trees commonly planted. Some of the
finest streets in Washington are planted with pin oaks, a species the worth
of which has not yet been sufficiently recognized in this state. It is a handsome
tree with finely divided deciduous foliage that takes on a scarlet and yellow
(90)
Plate 75. MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM. Sacramento.
"Faint was the air with the odorous breath
of magnolia blossoms."
— Longfellow.
color in the fall. The dense branching of this tree causes some of the twigs to
die, and these spurlike projections form the "pins" which give the tree its
common name.
Oaks do not give as quick results as some species, but their permanence,
stability and individuality recommend them for planting over many of the
expressionless, quick-growing trees that are now used. On account of their
spreading habit and irregular outline they should be given plenty of space in
which to develop.
VALLEY OAK
Valley oak (Quercus lobata), also known as weeping oak from its graceful
drooping sprays, grows naturally only in the Sacramento and San Joaquin
valleys, and the valleys of the Sierra foothills and Coast ranges. It was
discovered in 1792 by Spanish naval officers, and is often mentioned in the
narratives of Fremont, Vancouver and other early explorers as a tree of graceful
beauty.
It is stated by an early traveler that the Indians along the Rio Sacra-
mento "have a very pernicious habit of lighting their fires at the bases of
the valley oaks ; and as they naturally select the largest, it was really a sorrowful
sight to behold numbers of the finest trees thus prematurely and wantonly
destroyed."
The most famous valley oak is the Hooker Oak at Chico, California,
which was named in honor of Sir Joseph Hooker, who visited the tree in 1877.
According to Gen. W. T. Sherman, 7000 men could be seated in the shade of
this tree at noon. It has a height of 1 10 feet and a circumference of over
twenty-eight feet. This tree is in a park deeded to Chico by the widow of
Gen. John Bidwell.
The leaves of the valley oak, which are deciduous, are deeply lobed.
The trunk of mature trees is dark-brown and divided by longitudinal fissures
into broad flat ridges, broken horizontally into short plates. The tree usually
divides twenty or thirty feet above the ground, the limbs spreading at wide
angles and forming a broad head of slender branches hanging gracefully in
long sprays. Valley oak does best on soils where the water table is close to
the surface. It is a native species which deserves a place, and is recom-
mended for planting in those parts of the state where it is one of the dominant
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features of the landscape. The trees should be planted from eighty to 100 feet
apart to allow room for the wide spread of branches in later life.
CORK OAK
The cork oak (Quercus suber.), which forms extensive forests in Spain,
Portugal and other sections of the Mediterranean, is the source of the world's
cork supply. The bark has a specialized cork tissue which produces cork at a
much greater rate than any other tree. Cork was used by the early Greeks
and Romans to float nets, but did not come into general use until glass bottles
began to be used in the seventeenth century.
In its native habitat, cork oak grows on low hills, and attains its greatest
size in deep, rather moist loam. It is evergreen in character, and reaches a
height of sixty feet and a diameter of four feet in the best situations. In 1860
acorns of the cork oak were planted in California, and from them came trees
which have reached a diameter of two feet and a height of forty feet. Cork
oak has no commercial value in this country, but makes a splendid ornamental,
street or highway tree.
A number of fine specimens of cork oak are found in this state. They have
the general outline of the native live oak, except that the leaves are more
convex in shape. As the tree matures, it develops a corky bark which covers
the trunk with large fold-like corky excrescences. Cork oak makes a sym-
metrical tree with rounded head, and when planted where soil and moisture
conditions are favorable, makes a rapid growth. The largest cork oak in
the state is situated at Campo Seco in Calaveras County.
COAST LIVE OAK
Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), also known as holly oak from the
resemblance of its leaves to those of the holly, is a native tree of California that
is found in the Coast ranges from Sonoma County to Southern California. It
is a characteristic tree of the coast range valleys which it beautifies with low,
broad heads. It attracted the attention of the early Spanish explorers who
associated it with the fertility of the land. This is evidenced by the corre-
spondence of the chain of Franciscan missions within the general range of
this oak.
(92)
Plate 77. BIG-LEAF MAPLE. Berkeley.
*^^^^t^tt^S^^lS^^^^^^^^jrc Li,ke ^ th-< maples- its '««•
of mufortune with added color and beauty. emblem of Canada since it endures the frosts
Plate 78. MAYTEN. Berkeley.
A graceful tree from Chile of an upright habit of growth and with myrtle-like leaves.
California is justly proud of its oaks and there is none more beautiful than
the Coast 4jve oak. It is a hardy tree, from fifty to seventy feet high with a short
trunk parting into wide-spreading limbs which often touch the ground. The
trees on the campus of the University of California are very picturesque and
very old. Among them is the famous Le Conte oak which was dedicated by
the students to the memory of Joseph and John Le Conte, distinguished
as scientists and beloved as teachers. The largest known Coast live oak is
found in the Ojai Valley in Ventura County. Its crown is 105 feet across
while the trunk has a diameter of six feet and eight inches at five feet from the
ground.
Coast live oak is well adapted for a street or highway tree. It will make a
good growth in a rich loam with a gravelly subsoil with plenty of moisture at
the roots. In poor and dry soil it may prove a disappointment because of its
slow growth. The young trees should be from four to five years old with
sturdy root systems such as are developed in a nursery from several trans-
plantings. Young trees taken directly from their native habitat will not do
well.
About twelve years ago live oak trees were planted along the street in
front of Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, where they have made remarkable
growth.
BUR OAK
Bur oak (Quercm macrocarjpa), often called mossy-cup oak from the
hairy cup of the acorn, is one of the most picturesque of the forest trees of
Eastern United States. It is a wide spreading tree with corky branches and
very large, deeply lobed leaves, which are deciduous. This oak has not been
widely planted in California, but should do well in the interior valleys, judging
from the beautiful specimen in the Capitol Park at Sacramento.
OLEANDER
The oleander (Nerium oleander), is an old fashioned evergreen shrub
which reaches a height of twenty feet or more in California, where it is ex-
tensively planted for ornamental purposes in parkings and lawns. There are
many varieties, the blossoms of which range in color through various shades
of red, pink, white and yellow. Unfortunately, oleander is subject to black
scale, and all parts are poisonous if eaten. In spite of these disadvantages,
(93)
however, it is desired by many on account of the beauty and fragrance of its
blossoms. It can be planted on narrow streets where shade is a secondary
consideration, but careful pruning is necessary to overcome its straggling
habit. In some parts of the state it is used to alternate with the Canary
Island date palm.
OLIVE
The olive (Olea europaea) is a cultivated species that has been developed
from the wild form which originated in Asia Minor. It was widely cultivated
by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. In Jerusalem there are olive trees
standing in the Garden of Gesthsemane under which the Savior is supposed
to have walked during the Night of Agony. The most famous of these trees
was named "El Butini" and a tradition has long been held that when it fell
the Turkish Empire would also fall. It was killed in 1915, when an unprec-
edented plague of locusts swept down upon Jerusalem, destroying every
green thing for many miles around. Recent dispatches state that this tree
has now fallen.
The olive was early planted at the missions of California by the Franciscan
padres, and from the trees grown there came a variety now known as the
Mission. The original trees were grown at the San Diego Mission from seeds
brought from Mexico.
The olive thrives in all soils provided they are deep and well drained.
A clear dry atmosphere is essential else the tree is subject to the attack of the
black scale. As a shade tree it is not satisfactory since the shape is such
that it is very difficult to head it so that it will give any shade. As an orna-
mental tree it has desirable features on account of its distinctive style of
growth, gnarled buttress and color of the foliage. It rarely exceeds twenty-
five feet in height and has a very slow growth. It is most effective when
planted as a unit on narrow drives or streets.
ORCHID TREE
The orchid tree, so called because of the resemblance of its flowers to orchids,
is a rare tree from the tropics which is highly desirable for private grounds.
It is very tender, however, and can only be grown in certain parts of southern
California.
(94)
It has curious twin leaflets from which the generic name Bauhinia was
taken in honor of two sixteenth century herbalists, John and Caspar Bauhin.
The species (Bauhinia purpurea) from Southern Asia is a small tree, rarely
exceeding twenty feet in height. It bears flowers in great profusion. They are
about three inches across and resemble orchids in color and shape. At a
distance their color is deep lavender, but an examination reveals tones of
mauve and purple, with a touch of white. This tree requires rich, well-drained
land well protected from wind and frost, and special care until it becomes well
established.
PAGODA TREE
The pagoda tree belongs to the genus Sophora, the Arabian name of a
tree with pea-shaped flowers. The pendulous variety (Sophora japonica
pendula), which originated in Japan, is one of the best weeping trees. It has
long and slender pendulous branches with delicate leaflets that are dark-green
above and lighter beneath. The pea-shaped flowers, which are small and
cream colored, are borne in racemes about a foot long.
Sophora is scattered over the warmer pares of the two hemispheres, with
about twenty species, two of them becoming small trees in Texas. The Chinese
use the pods and flower buds of an Asiatic species to make a dye which is
used to dye white cloth yellow and blue cloth green.
The great attraction of the pagoda tree is its pleasing outline both in
summer and winter. It thrives in well-drained sandy loam, but grows fairly
well in rather dry soil. The weeping form can be increased by grafting on the
common stock at the height of stem desired.
PEPPER TREE
The California pepper tree (Schinus molle), is a broad-headed tree with
airy foliage which is widely planted in southern California. It has an
abundance of coral red berries in the fall and winter which form a pleasing
contrast with the bright green evergreen foliage of finely cut leaves.
The pepper tree is admired by tourists, but is falling into disrepute with
orange growers due to its being a favorite host to the black scale. Many trees
have been cut due to this cause, but there are still some beautiful avenues of
this tree in Riverside and Los Angeles.
(95)
As stated in Bulletin No. 4, Street and Highway Planting, the following
points should be kept in mind by any one considering its use:
1 . The pendent habit of young growth means continued pruning.
2. The black scale infests it.
3. It needs very wide parkings on account of the irregularity of the trunk
and the breaking of pavements.
4. It requires extra care when young, with staking and pruning, to
encourage a good form.
BRAZILIAN PEPPER TREE
The Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) has a rapid spreading
growth and reaches a height of about forty feet. Its leaflets are longer than
those of the California pepper tree, and the new growth is usually tinged with
pink. It is strictly a southern California tree because of its susceptibility to
frost.
PISTACHE
The pistachio belongs to the genus Pistacia, one species of which produces
the pistachio nuts of commerce, which are used in confectionery and flavoring.
In Syria they always form an important ingredient at all wedding feasts.
There are about twenty species, most of them being found in the Mediter-
ranean region. The pistache was early cultivated and according to Pliny was
brought to Rome in the first century of the Christian era. It was introduced
into the United States in 1853, and has been extensively propagated at the
Government station at Chico, California.
The pistache is a dry-climate tree and requires little moisture when once
established in deep soil. The Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is one of
the best species for ornamental planting. It is a round-headed tree about
forty feet in height at maturity with stout branches bearing large dark green
leaflets. The ends of the branches are covered with brilliant red foli-
age which appears like blossoms at a distance. In the fall ruddy berry-like
nuts are borne in large clusters.
PITTOSPORUMS
The Pittosporums, which belong to a genus by that name meaning
"pitch seed," in allusion to the resinous coating of the seeds, embrace over
one hundred evergreen species most of which are natives of the Australian
(96)
group. They are shrubby plants which often attain the proportions of trees.
Their growth is slow and their habit somewhat formal because of their upright,
nonspreading form of growth. Several species have small, handsome flowers
which add to their attractiveness in the spring. They are easily cultivated
and make handsome single specimens on lawns, besides being very effective
in grouping.
VICTORIAN BOX
Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), although often trimmed ror a
hedge, reaches a height of forty feet as a tree. It has rich green wavy-margined
leaves, and fragrant whitish flowers in terminal clusters followed by showy
yellow berries. It is used as an avenue tree in southern California because
of the beauty of the foliage and the odor of the blossoms which resemble those
of the orange.
NARROW-LEAVED PITTOSPORUM
Narrow-leaved pittosporum (Pittosporum phillyraeoides) has slender
drooping branches, giving it the same habit as the weeping willow. The leaves
are long and narrow and the flowers yellow and fragrant. It is a native of the
deserts of Australia and is thoroughly adapted to dry situations in California.
It reaches a height of about thirty feet.
POPLARS
The poplars belong to the genus Populus, and as the name indicates
have a wide popularity for planting on account of the ease with which they
are propagated and the rapidity of their growth. The genus embraces
some twenty-five species of which eleven are found in North America. In
the extreme north there are great forests of poplars and they are also found
abundantly all through the northern hemisphere particularly along stream
courses.
Many of the species contain fragrant balsam in the buds which is ac-
counted for in a Grecian myth. The story goes that Jupiter, angry at Phaethon
for his reckless driving of the Chariot of the Sun, hurled him into the river
Po where he was drowned. His unhappy sisters, the Heliades, mourning his
fate upon the river bank, were changed into poplars, and their tears into its
balsam.
7—11898 ( 97 )
Legend tells us that the Cross was made of Aspen, one of the poplars,
and as is so beautifully told by Mrs. Hemans:
"* * * since that hour
Through all its race the pale tree hath sent down
A thrilling consciousness, a secret awe,
Making them tremulous, when not a breeze
Disturbs the airy thistle-down, or shakes
The light lines of the shining gossamer."
The constant agitation of the foliage of the aspen by the least breath
of wind is due to the length and flattened form of the leaf-stalk. It has no
stability at the point of juncture of leaf and stalk which causes the leaves
to quiver constantly, no matter how faint the breeze. The rustling noise, as of
a purling stream, is produced by the friction of the leaves on one another.
In England poplars are commonly planted wherever a quick screen is
required, a practice concerning which Evelyn says :
"We may recommend them to such late builders as seat their
houses in naked and unsheltered places and that would put a guise of
antiquity upon any new inclosure, since by these, whilst a man is on a
voyage of no long continuance, his house and lands may be so covered
as to be hardly known on his return."
So rapid is the growth of poplars that in some European countries a
plantation of these trees made on the birth of a daughter is expected to grow
into an ample dowry for her marriage.
The cottonwood, the largest of the poplars, is associated in the United
States with the history of the Middle West. Up to a few years ago there
stood a giant cottonwood near Wilmette, Illinois, which was known as the
Black Hawk tree. Black Hawk often assembled the Indian chiefs under his
command around this tree, and many of his campaigns against the whites were
planned beneath its shade. At the time this tree was destroyed by a ma-
licious act it was 1 30 feet in height and measured twelve feet at the base.
On the Capitol grounds at Topeka, Kansas, stands a cottonwood under
which were mustered the Twentieth Regiment of Kansas Volunteers which
made such a splendid record in the Philippines under General Funston.
(98)
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CAROLINA POPLAR
The Carolina poplar (Populus deltoides carolinensis) is a very rapid
growing tree with large leaves which is easy to transplant and which will
thrive under a wide variety of soil conditions. For this reason it is widely
planted although it has many undesirable features which ordinarily makes
the choice of other species preferable. It reaches maturity quickly, breaks
easily because of its brittle wood, and suckers badly. It is particularly bad for
street planting since its fine roots penetrate the slightest crevice in a sewer-
pipe in its vicinity and fills them with a network of fibers which soon stops
the flow of water. Some towns have passed ordinances that forbid the planting
of the tree because of its objectionable habits. If other trees will grow, the
Carolina poplar should not be planted If used at all, it should be planted
with the idea of cutting the trees out in a few years.
LOMBARDY POPLAR
The Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra italica) derives its name from its
abundance on the banks of the Po and other rivers in Lombardy. It was
brought into Italy from the Himalayas by way of Persia where it has been
planted along the roads from very early times.
Most of the broad-leaved deciduous trees have rounded contours. The
Lombardy poplar stands almost alone in the remarkably erect, or fastigiate
habit of growth of its branches which are of almost equal length at the base
and at the top of the tree, and which point upward at a sharp angle from the
trunk. It is called the "exclamation point" in landscape architecture because
of its tall pyramidal form which is utilized to mark the position of houses or
serve as sentinels at the entrance of parks. When planted close together the
trees make an excellent wind-break because of their low branches which form
a wall of foliage against drying winds.
Early in the spring the flowers appear as long catkins, dangling on the
bare branches. While the catkins are having their day the leaf buds are
swelling. When they burst, the two outer scales turn red and the emerging
leaves are curled up on their faces from margin to margin in two coils which
as they roll back expose the shining, bronze face of the little leaf. Soon the
(99)
little triangular leaflets come forth on their long leaf-stalks, and glint cheer-
fully in the sun, which led the poet Cornwall to say :
"The poplar there
Shoots up its spire, and shakes its leaves
In the sun."
Lombardy poplar should never stand alone, but should be placed so that
the row of vertical green plumes may form a contrast with some horizontal
line such as a railroad embankment, or the arch of a viaduct.
CHINESE POPLARS
These poplars (Populus chinensis), (Populus simonii), and (Populus
tomentosa), that have recently been introduced from China, give promise of
making very satisfactory growth for quick windbreak protection. The first
has an upright habit similar to the Lombardy poplar but with more graceful
leaves. The second has glossy leaves which are of unusual shape. The third,
as its name implies, is distinguished by the silvery tone of its leaves. This
tree has made remarkably rapid growth at Berkeley and Chico.
PRIVETS
The privets embrace about thirty-five species of small trees and shrubs
from Europe, Asia and Australia. They are valuable for their hardiness and
are extensively used for formal planting especially for hedges and screens.
The Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum) is a large shrub or small tree
with leathery, dark-green leaves and white flowers which have a sickly sweet
fragrance. They are followed late in the summer by dark-blue berries. This
privet. is good for a tall hedge, but also makes a handsome flowering tree.
When grown as a tree care should be taken to select specimens from the nur-
sery which have unbranched leaders for at least seven or eight feet, since the
head is formed very low after branching begins. It needs a wide parking on
account of its spreading crown which gives abundant shade at maturity.
Constant care is needed to keep down suckers which tend to spoil the shape of
the tree.
(100)
Plate 83. BUR OAK. Sacramento.
One of the finest of the Eastern oaks with wide spreading branches and large deeply lobed leaves. The acorn
cups are fringed and bur-like.
Plate 8.4. CALIFORNIA LIVE OAK. Del Monte.
"And the fair oak, whose leafy dome affords
A temple where the vows of happy love
Are registered."
—Shelley.
RED-BUD
The fed-bud, commonly called the Judas tree, takes its generic name
Cercis from a Greek word for a weaver's implement to which its fruit bears a
fancied resemblance.
There are seven species of Cercis in the world, three of which occur in
North America. The eastern species reaches a height of forty to fifty feet,
while the western species are smaller and more shrub-like. All species are
very ornamental with a profusion of bright pink pea-shaped flowers that adorn
the black-barked branches before the leaves appear. The sudden change from
bare branches to those covered with beautiful blossoms swinging on little
delicate stems is very striking Californians go many miles in the springtime
to see the red-bud in bloom and to gather its blossoms.
After the blossoms go, the heart-shaped leaves and flat brown pods ap-
pear. The hold of these pods upon the limb from which they hang is very
slight, so that a mere breath is sufficient to make them fall to the ground.
The California species (Cercis occidentalism is rarely over fifteen feet
in height. It is often cultivated as an ornamental tree, and is used to good
effect in grouping with other small trees and shrubs. It is easily handled
and thrives best on well-drained soils in semishaded situations.
RUBBER TREES
The rubber trees belong to the genus Ficus of which the curious banyan
tree, the sacred fig of India, is a member. This tree has a peculiar form of
growth, its branches sending out aerial roots which become multiple trunks
when they reach the ground. Lateral branches are sent out from these trunks
and the tree continues to expand outward until it becomes a forest in itself,
the haunt of birds and monkeys who feed on its fruit, a sort of red fig, the size
of a cherry. There is a banyan tree in the botanical gardens of Calcutta
which has a central trunk over 50 feet in circumference and about 200 pro-
gressive trunks. On an island in the Nurbudda River in Western India is a
tree with 350 large trunks and 3000 smaller ones under which an army of
7000 men is said to have encamped.
The Hindus regard the banyan tree as a symbol of the Deity due to its
long endurance and overshadowing beneficence. Solemn festivals are held
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beneath its branches, and fakirs and anchorets often seek religious solitude
in its deep and grateful shade.
MORETON BAY FIG
The Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrojphylla ) is a native of Australia, where
it forms one of the finest avenue trees in some of the cities. It makes a magnifi-
cent tree which assumes large proportions in height and diameter in Cali-
fornia. It is remarkable for the fantastic development of its buttressed roots
which resemble the snake-like roots of the rubber tree which yields the India
rubber of commerce. The foliage is evergreen in character and consists of
bright glossy green leaves. Its large spreading head makes the Moreton Bay
fig desirable for street planting, but care should be taken to space the trees
at least eight feet apart to allow for the wide extension of the branches. It
should not be planted in locations subject to heavy winds which may break
its heavy limbs. Due to its sensitiveness to frost, it is not recommended for
planting outside of southern California.
INDIA RUBBER TREE
The India rubber tree (Picas elastica) is much grown as a house plant,
but will reach a large size as a tree when planted in favored localities. It
reaches a height of 100 feet in the tropics and has a wide-spreading habit.
The leaves, which grow to twelve inches in length, are very dark, glossy
green and have a leathery texture. This tree which is a native of Assam,
yields the rubber called "Rombong" of commerce. Its octopus-like appear-
ance given by its deep buttressed roots makes it a great attraction for tourists.
When planted as an ornamental tree in California, it should be given good
soil and plenty of moisture. It will not do well except under very favorable
climatic conditions, since it is naturally a tree of the tropics.
SILK OAK
The silk oak (Grevillea robusta) takes its generic name after Chas. F.
Greville, an English patron of botany. It is an Australian tree that has no
relation botanically with the true oaks, but which is commonly called silk
oak because of the silky-like appearance of its wood which is hard like that of
oak. It is sometimes erroneously called the gorilla tree.
(102)
This tree is very common in southern California, where it is extensively
planted on^the streets of some of the principal cities. The stately form, fern-like
foliage and orange-red flowers are the reasons for its choice. In old age, how-
ever, it loses much of its charm, because of breakage due to the brittleness
of the wood. Moreover, it is considerable of a nuisance because of the con-
stant dropping of the leaves, and the capacity of the roots for entering water
pipes. These faults make the silk oak poorly adapted for a street tree. On
private estates, however, where it can be cared for, it is worth planting. It
does not do well in sections of the state where frosts are severe.
STERCULIAS
The Sterculias are natives of the warmer regions of the world, the two
species most commonly planted in southern California coming from Australia.
The foliage somewhat resembles that of the camphor, but the growth of the
trunk is entirely different. It swells at the butt giving the trees a pyramidal
shape.
The flame tree (Sterculia acerifolia) takes its name from the scarlet
flowers which are produced in showy clusters. It reaches a height of sixty
feet and has a sturdy habit, with deeply lobed leaves.
The Victorian bottle tree (Sterculia diversifolia) has a peculiar pyramidal
trunk growth, and bright, glossy leaves of many different shapes. The flowers
are not striking as on the flame tree, and give rise to heavy seed-pods at the
tips of the branches which tend to mar the symmetry of the tree by pulling
the branches out of position.
SYCAMORES
The sycamores belong to the genus Platanus, which is the classical name
of the plane tree. They embrace six or seven species found in North America,
Mexico, Central America and Southwestern Asia. They are splendid trees of
rapid growth with symmetrical, broad spreading habits. The leaves are
large and are rather like those of the maple in appearance. Their dark green
color makes an effective contrast to the gray bark which peels off in patches
giving the tree a motley appearance which has caused it to be called the
"Clothes Tree." The fruit is ball-shaped and is pendent. Its resemblance to
(103)
buttons has given rise to another common term for the tree, that of "Button-
wood."
AMERICAN SYCAMORE
In a contest inaugurated by the American Genetic Association of Wash-
ington, D. C., for the location of the largest nonnut-bearing hardwood in
the United States, it was found that an American sycamore (Ptatanus occi-
dentalis) was the largest tree submitted. A tree near Worthington, Indiana,
was found to be 150 feet high with a spread of 100 feet and a trunk circum-
ference of over forty-five feet at one foot above the ground.
There are a number of historic sycamores in Massachusetts, notably
those at Charlemont and Deerfield. It was under the sycamore at Charlemont
that the first pioneer settler of the township slept when he went there in 1741.
He afterwards was killed by the Indians near this tree and it still stands as a
monument to his memory. The Deerfield sycamore, which is now 100 feet in
height, stands within what was once the enclosure of a fort built in 1689.
Near it stands the Stebbins house, where, in 1703, "seven men, besides women
and children, held two hundred soldiers and one hundred and forty Indians
at bay (under a French officer of the line) for three hours." (From James
Raymond Simmons' "The Historic Trees of Massachusetts.")
The American sycamore grows naturally along streams and lakes on rich
soil. It is confined to the eastern and southern part of the United States. A
close relative is a western species (Platanus racemosa), a picturesque tree of
irregular growth that frequents the stream courses of the interior valleys and
coast ranges.
The native sycamores are planted for shade and ornamental purposes
but it has been found that they are inferior to the London plane in symmetry
and are more subject to fungous diseases which disfigure the trees.
LONDON PLANE
The London plane (Platanus acerifolia) has for years been known and
sold as the Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) and is still so listed in many
nursery catalogs. According to Dr. Augustine Henry the tree is the result of
a natural cross between the American sycamore and Oriental plane which
grew in Kew Gardens, London, and which still attracts the attention of
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Plate 87. ORCHID TREE. Riverside.
A rare tree from the tropics which gives splendid ornamental effects in gardens in southern California.
Plate 88.. ORCHID TREE BLOSSOMS. Riverside.
The orchid-like flowers are deep lavender at a distance, but closer examination reveals tones of mauve and purple
with a touch of white.
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visitors by its size and beauty. The vigor and rapidity of growth of the
London plane is due to this hybrid origin and these features have made this
species one of the most highly recommended for street and highway planting.
The plane is a native of Greece, Cyprus, Rhodes and Asia Minor. It has
always been highly regarded. The Greeks planted it in groves, under whose
heavy shade their philosophers were wont to meditate. Tradition relates
that when Xerxes invaded Greece, a plane so delighted him that he encircled
it with a collar of gold, stamped a figure of it on a gold medal which he con-
tinually wore, and tarried so long beneath it as to ruin his chances of success.
Pliny also admired this tree and tells us that no tree so well defends us from
the heat of the sun in summer, nor that admits it more kindly in winter. The
plane was held in veneration by the Egyptians and worshipped with fruit
offerings and jars of water from which travelers might partake.
Near Constantinople there is a plane 100 feet high, 165 feet in circum-
ference and 1 30 feet in the spread of its branches, which is 2000 years old or more.
On the Greek island of Cos is a giant tree which has become so old and pon-
derous that it is necessary to support its branches with marble columns.
In his Sylva, Evelyn writes of "the .incomparable and shady Platanus,
that so beautiful and precious tree which we read the Romans brought out of
the Levant, and cultivated it with so much industry and cost for its stately
and proud head only ; that they would irrigate them with wine instead of water ;
and so prized the very shadow of it, that when afterwards they transplanted
them into France, they exacted a tribute of any of the natives who should
presume to put his head under it."
The plane does remarkably well on London streets, where it was planted
in 1789. Its distinctiveness has given it an important place in modern English
art, and it is often to be seen in paintings and drawings. The streets of Wash-
ington and Philadelphia have many beautiful specimens, and the planes that
were planted in Sacramento a few years ago are so vigorous and attractive
that they have been widely planted in all parts of the city. The tree is well
adapted for street and highway planting because of the ease with which it
is transplanted, its resistance to insect pests, symmetry and rapid growth.
It is disposed to grow rather large but stands severe pruning well and can
be made to conform to the width of any street without injury.
(105)
TAMARISK
The tamarisks (Taman'x) are shrubs or small trees with small scale-
like deciduous leaves greatly resembling those of cypress, and spikes of small
pink or white blossoms which completely cover the trees in spring. They
grow naturally on the sea shore or in sandy places, from Japan and China
to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and from Senegambia to Siberia. They
thrive in the very spray of salt water.
The name tamarisk either came from the river Tamaris in the Pyrenees,
on whose banks it grows, or from the Hebrew tamarik, cleansing, from its use
either for purifying the blood or for making brooms. A decoction of the young
twigs is said to be used by the Tartars for rheumatism and for bruises. A
Syrian species, when stung by an insect, exudes a mucilaginous sugar which'
the Arabs term "manna" and which they use with their unleavened bread.
No shrub is better adapted to the planting of waste spots where soil and
moisture conditions are adverse. It thrives under almost any condition, and
will grow readily from cuttings, like the willow. It makes a good windbreak
due to its dense foliage and does not sap the ground since the roots go straight
down instead of spreading in a lateral direction. It reaches a height of ten to
twelve feet, but can be readily trimmed to form hedges if desired.
TULIP
The tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera), commonly called yellow poplar, was
one of the earliest of the hardwoods that flourished in the cretaceous age.
In that remote time, the genus to which it belongs, and which is now repre-
sented by only two species, one in Central China and the other in the eastern
part of the United States, flourished in Greenland together with bald cypress,
sycamore, redwood and other trees which were forced to the south during
the Ice Age. The ice pushed from the north down to middle United States,
burying everything. Many species of trees perished, but the tulip managed
to survive and worked its way as far north as Canada when the ice sheet
finally melted away. Some of its former companions, notably the redwood
and big tree of California, never succeeded in extending their range to the
north after being pushed to their present location.
(106)
t
• Plate 92. PHOTINIA. Pasadena.
A small Chinese tree that belongs to the same genus as the California redberry, which is the glory of our hill-
sides in fall and winter.
The tulip reaches its best development in the Southern Appalachians
where it reaches a height of 120 feet with a tall, straight unbranched trunk.
It has a pyramidal habit, something like that of a conifer, and an open ap-
pearance due to its comparatively few branches. The bark is dark, mottled
with dark spots and fissured with fine lines.
The tulip is linked with the history of the Southern States. In 1779,
Indians assembled near Chattanooga for an attack on the Carolina frontier.
Isaac Shelby, a pioneer leader, had canoes hewed out of trunks of the tulip,
and took 750 men down the Holston River to attack them. A few years
later a force cf South Carolina revolutionists defeated one thousand tories
led by Major Ferguson. Because of the crimes committed by the captured
royalists, ten were condemned by court martial and hanged to a tulip on Kings
Mountain.
On the campus of St. Johns College, Annapolis, stands the famous Liberty
Tulip under which the early colonists discussed their rights. In 1825, General
Lafayette, a champion of their struggle for liberty, was entertained under
this tree. Although its trunk is a mere shell, yet it flourishes and bears thou-
sands of blossoms every year.
The lumberman's term for the tulip is yellow poplar. It is probable that
this name was given it because its leaves, like those of poplars, flutter in the
breeze, and because the color of the heartwood is somewhat yellow. The wood
is highly prized and has many uses such as for veneer, furniture, tobacco hogs-
heads and candy boxes.
As a shade tree, the tulip retains its beauty and symmetry from youth
to old age, and has added attractiveness because of its striking leaves and
flowers. Like other members of the magnolia family, to which it belongs,
the tulip has large showy flowers. They are tulip-shaped and yellowish-
green in color with darker yellow and deep orange on the tip of the petals.
Stout stems bear them erect above the pale green foliage of the tree.
The leaves of the tulip, which are deciduous, are unique in shape. They are
angular with four points, and have peculiar chopped off ends, which gives
them a fiddle-shaped appearance. The fluttering of the leaves in the wind
is due to the triangular leaf stems which vibrate as do the flat ones of the
poplar. The fruit is a cone, several inches long, composed of thin, narrow
(107)
scales attached to a common axis, each scale bearing a seed. The seed ripens
in October and blows away leaving the empty spikes erect on the tree.
Although a handsome shade tree, the tulip is rather hard to grow suc-
cessfully. It has the fleshy roots of the magnolias which makes it hard to
transplant. In transplanting care should be taken not to bruise the roots, or
allow them to dry out. The trees should be planted in the early spring in deep,
rich soil. Careful attention is needed for several years, but after the tree be-
comes established it grows rapidly and is little troubled with insects. Because
of the size it attains at maturity, it should not be used on narrow streets.
UMBRELLA TREE
The umbrella tree (Melia azedarach var umbraculiformis) is widely planted
in California because of its rapid growth and its quickness in giving shade.
Its common name is given because of the umbrella-like shape of the tree. It
is also called the China tree due to its Asiatic origin.
The umbrella tree is popular because of its delicate bright green foliage,
which it carries until late in the season, and its long sprays of fragrant lilac-
colored blossoms. When well grown it forms handsome specimens, but in
many cases it is not properly pruned with the result that too many branches
are formed and breakage from the wind results. This tree also has objection-
able features due to the excessive litter of leaves and its slippery fruits which
are apt to cause accidents The umbrella tree has its place, but its faults
do not recommend it for widespread planting as a street or highway tree in
view of the many more desirable species that can be used.
WALNUTS
The original home of the walnut was probably in the north of Persia.
The Greeks thought highly of the tree and accounted for its excellence by a
story that Bacchus loved Carya, a king's daughter. Her sisters were jealous
and interfered, and Bacchus, greatly enraged, changed them into stones, and
Carya into a walnut.
Introduced into Italy before the Christian era the walnut was named
Juglans, a corruption of Jovis glans, the nut of Jove, food nut for the gods.
It was looked upon as sacred to Diana, whose festivals were held beneath its
(108)
Plate 94. PINES OF MONTEREY. Del Monte.
"Anchored in firm-set rock, ye ride the blast.
And from the promontory's utmost verge
Make signal o'er the waters."
— Bayard Taylor.
shade. The ancients believed that walnuts were marked by nature to cure
diseases of the brain or help in head troubles of any sort. This is due to the
resemblance of the nut to the head. The hard shell is like the skull, and the
thin, brown skin and lobed white flesh resemble the convolutions of the brain.
The herbalists of old believed that "The leaves with boar's grease stayeth
the hair from falling and maketh it fair." Early disciples of Izaak Walton made
a decoction of the leaves to water the ground to make worms come to the
surface.
The value of walnut for furniture was recognized in King Solomon's
time when this wood was brought from the Indies. The Venetians later
carved walnut into elaborate cabinets. During the reign of William and
Mary there began what has been termed the "age of walnut" when these
monarchs brought to England walnut furniture in the Dutch and Flemish
styles.
American walnut, or black walnut as it is often called, was closely asso-
ciated with early colonial history. In 1633 Governor Winslow used a walnut
table in presiding over his councils in Pilgrim Hall at Plymouth.
At Maplewood, New Jersey, stands a huge walnut which is said to have
been planted in 1 743 in front of the Timothy Ball house. When visiting his
cousins, the Balls, General Washington hitched his horse to an iron ring
which was attached to this tree.
So well known is the walnut in the United States that it has been pro-
posed that it be adopted as our national tree. It grows naturally in the region
occupied by four-fifths of the people of this country and has been planted
and grown successfully in every state in the Union. One writer says "England
has her oaks, Canada her maple, Italy her olives, Germany her linden, Japan
her cryptomeria, why not America her walnut?"
The American walnut has many good points which entitle it for con-
sideration as the national tree It makes a beautiful decorative and shade
tree with its wide spreading habit and long, compound leaves. The wood is
valuable for many purposes, and during the war was much used for gun-
stocks and airplane propellers. The nuts are much prized as food. The
California species is used as a stock graft for English walnut since it is thriftier
than that species and its roots are better adapted to our soils.
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There are ten species of walnuts found in the world, the most important
commercially being the Eastern black walnut, which is found from Massa-
chusetts and Minnesota south to Texas and Florida. It reaches a maximum
height of 1 50 feet with a trunk diameter of four to six feet. Under best condi-
tions it lives to be 250 years old.
CALIFORNIA BLACK WALNUT
California black walnut (Juglans californica) is a native tree which is
found along streams in southern and central California. In southern Cali-
fornia it usually branches near the ground and has a shrub-like habit. A tree
is reported in Ojai Valley, Ventura County, which has a crown diameter of
ninety-two feet and a trunk circumference at the base of fourteen feet five
inches. Even this large tree has a shrub-like habit since all of the lower limbs
creep on the ground.
On the banks of the lower Sacramento River this tree forms tall, round-
headed trees forty to sixty feet high, with a diameter of one or two feet. This
tree is now known as Juglans hindsii and is regarded as specifically different
from the southern California tree. Some of the best specimens are found
growing along Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County. Both these localities
are near ancient Indian village sites, and since there is a wide gap in the dis-
tribution of the walnut between these localities and those in southern Cali-
fornia, Jepson thinks that the nuts were brought north and planted either by
the Indians or the first European settlers.
The California black walnut makes an excellent roadside tree since it
grows rapidly into a symmetrical tree which affords an abundance of shade.
The handsome, pinnate, glossy leaves add much to its attractive appearance.
The nuts are ripe in October, but the kernel, although very palatable, is
difficult of extraction because of the thickness of the shell. The tree is best
suited for wide roads where its spreading habit and sturdy growth are most
effective. It is rather difficult to transplant, and needs a deep, rich soil for
its best development. Under favorable conditions it reaches a height of
seventy-five feet.
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Plate 95. MONTEREY PINE TRUNK. Del Monte.
A handsome native pine of California that has extremely rapid growth.
Plate 96. TORREY PINE. Hollywood.
Under cultivation this pine makes a rapid growth. The heavy tufts of needles on the ends of the branchlets
give it an attractive appearance.
WILLOWS
Sir Jodfeph Hooker called Salix a "troublesome genus" since it embraces
so many kinds of willows and they fertilize so much among each other that
the botanist is hard put to distinguish between them. About 170 species
have been recognized, and there are an endless number of varieties, of wide
range in all parts of the world. The name willow, from the early English
word welig, refers to the flexibility of the young branches.
The willow is so meek and humble in its' habits that it has been called the
Cinderella of trees. It has long been considered the symbol of unrequited
love and was spoken of by Fuller as "A sad tree, whereof such as have lost
their love make their mourning garlands." Shakespeare portrays Dido, Queen
of Carthage, when forsaken by Aeneas as standing with a willow in her hand
to waft her love to come again to Carthage.
The association of the willow with grief probably had its origin at the
time the Psalmist recorded that the Hebrews hung their harps upon the willows
and wept by the rivers of Babylon. Even to those who have not been in-
fluenced by Biblical tradition the willow has been a symbol of sorrow. Torches
made of willow were used by the ancients at funerals, and "to wear the willow"
was an outward symbol of grief. The Druids are stated to have burned their
human sacrifices in wicker cages.
Willows are rapid growers, but usually short lived. They are generally
found along streams and spring up so abundantly that they quickly take
possession of localities suited to them. The children of Israel were promised
to be multiplied like "willows by the water courses." A few of the willows
are large-sized trees, and grace proud estates with their beauty. Others are
shrub-like and serve a humble capacity of clothing the waste places of the
earth.
The willows belong to the lowest order of deciduous broad-leaved trees,
and fossils show that they were of the earliest groups of plants that flourished
when the earth was young. It is probable that they owe their survival to their
tenacity of life since they never overlook an opportunity to gain a foothold.
A small section of willow twig containing a bud, or a piece of a root, when
covered by moist soil, takes root and rapidly develops into a shrub or tree.
Willow stumps send up multitudes of shoots which are often a great nuisance
(ill)
to the agriculturist who seeks to clear land for cultivation. The sprouting
capacity of the willow, however, makes it useful for binding embankments
which are subject to erosion.
The willows have high ornamental value, particularly along water-
courses, where their fine, graceful foliage produces an airy effect which height-
ens the transparency of the water. The close association of willows with
water was noticed by Cowper, who said :
"The willows dip
Their pendent boughs, stooping as if to drink."
WEEPING WILLOW
The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is a native of Asia and North
Africa, but has been widely propagated elsewhere by means of cuttings.
This tree shades the tomb of Napoleon at Saint Helena where its light foliage
flows like the dishevelled hair and graceful drapery of a sculptured mourner.
It is related that the soothsayers of Babylon foretold the death of Alexander
the Great when the boughs of a weeping willow swept the crown from his head
as he was crossing the Euphrates in a boat.
The charm of the weeping willow is best revealed along lakes and water-
courses over which it hangs its long , pendulous branchlets of soft feathery
green. It is a perfect contrast to the formal Lombardy poplar, the light airy
sprays of which rise perpendicularly. It prefers rather humble scenes along a
glassy pond or romantic foot bridge where its pendent branches stoop to the
water's edge.
The first weeping willow in this country is said to have been grown from
a twig brought by a British officer in 1776. He secured it from a tree on the
estate of the poet Alexander Pope and on his arrival in this country gave it to
John Curtis of Virginia who planted it on his place.
Salix fragilis pendula, a variety recently introduced from China, has made
wonderfully rapid growth at Chico and promises to become as popular a weep-
ing tree as the above species.
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-
THE PALMS
The term palm is derived from the Latin, palma, meaning the flat of the
hand. From this sense the word was applied to the palm tree, because of
the resemblance of its leaves to the outspread hand.
The palms embrace 1 50 genera and 1 200 or more species of monocotyle-
dons. They are found almost exclusively in the tropics where they form a
striking part of the vegetation. They generally have a columnar trunk often
buttressed at the base, crowned with a rosette of large leaves, although some
species have branching habits and are only a few feet in height. The leaves
are either palmate (fan-form), or pinnate (fern-form).
The Bible has many references to the palm tree, which is an emblem of
constancy, fruitfulness, patience and victory. It is described as an upright,
tall, flourishing and shadowy tree growing by sweet springs of water. The finest
palms were about Jericho and along the banks of the Jordan.
It was probably under date palms that, the children of Israel pitched their
camp at Elim because there "were twelve fountains of water and three score
and ten palm trees." (Num. 33:9.)
Date palms produce a great number of suckers, which form a kind of
forest by their spreading. It was under palm trees of this kind that the
prophetess Deborah dwelt between Ramah and Bethel. (Judg. 4:5.) It was
probably to this multiplication of the palm tree that the prophet makes al-
lusion when he says "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." (Ps.
92:12.) It is a fitting emblem of a just man because it is constantly green,
flourishing and fruitful.
A branch or leaf of the palm was borne by the ancients as a symbol of
victory and rejoicing. "A great multitude * * * stood, before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white .robes, and palms in their
hands." (Rev. 7:9.) The poet Wordsworth refers to the ancient custom of
using both palms and willows as symbols of rejoicing:
"The Hebrews thus, carrying in joyful state
Thick boughs of palm, and willow from the brook
Marched round the altar."
8—11898 (113)
From this symbolism the palm has come to be a token of success and is
used in this sense by Shakespeare. "So get the start of the majestic world
and bear the palm alone."
CALIFORNIA FAN PALM
The California fan palm, which is named in honor of George Washington
(Washingtonia filifera), is the stateliest of all our palms. It inhabits the
interior dry region of southern California and often forms small groves along
alkaline streams on the margins of the Colorado Desert. The palm groves in
the canyons at Palm Springs in Riverside County are famous because of their
picturesque appearance and ancient lineage.
In its native state the California fan palm reaches a height of seventy-
five feet and a diameter of three feet. The fan-shaped leaves, which are from
three to six feet long, with forty to sixty folds, were formerly used by the
Indians to thatch their huts. They also ate the soft bases of the young leaves
besides the fruit, which is borne in large clusters.
This palm is extensively cultivated and does well in deep, well drained
soil and where there is a plentiful supply of water during the growing season.
It does not do well in cold, exposed situations but in the interior portions of Cali-
fornia as far north as Butte County, and on the south coast, it makes a vigorous
growth. It is customary to remove the dead leaves each year, but the ap-
pearance of the older trees is more striking when they are allowed to remain.
There is great difficulty in restraining small boys from touching matches
to these masses of dead leaves on the famous palm lined avenues near San
Bernardino. Many of the fine palms have been badly injured in this way.
CANARY ISLAND DATE PALM
The Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) is an introduced
species from the Canary Islands which is the most widely planted palm in
California. The name Phoenix was given the date palm by Theophrastus,
probably because it was first seen by the Greeks in Phoenicia.
It is valuable in landscape planting, but its ultimate great size should be
kept in mind so that room will be allowed it for development. It should not
be planted on narrow streets or parkings of average width, nor in yards too
small to accommodate it at maturity.
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Plate 97. TORREY PINE CONES. San Diego.
A rare tree that occurs only on a few small areas in southern California. San Diego has included a little group
of these trees in a city park at Del Mar,
Plate 98. COULTER PINE. Pasadena.
Often called the big-cone pine on account of its large cones. It is a native tree of California which thrives in
arid situation!.
Like many of the palms, its early growth is exceedingly slow, but after a
height of three or four feet is attained, development under favorable soil and
weather conditions is rapid. A height of twenty-five feet and a spread of thirty
feet are common at ages ranging from ten to twenty years. This palm has
been known to withstand severe frosts, and has undoubtedly proved its hardi-
ness in withstanding drought, hard winds and an appreciable amount of alkali.
Very attractive landscape effects can be obtained by grouping the Canary
Island palm with species of Cocos, Sabal and other palm varieties.
COCOS PALMS
The Cocos palms are a very large tropical and semitropical genus of
pinnate-leaved palms, including the cocoanut. The generic term Cocos is a
Portuguese word meaning monkey and has reference to the nut, which re-
sembles a monkey's face. There is considerable variation in the habit and
appearance of the different species. Some have dwarf growth with recurved
leaves, and others are erect with long, nearly erect, plumy leaves. In the
latter class is the Cocos plumosa from southern Brazil, which forms beautiful
avenues in southern California from Santa Barbara south. They frequently
attain a height of forty feet and give attractive ornamental effects because of
their characteristic trunks and plumy crests of long feathery, swaying, dark-
green leaves. North of Santa Barbara this species frequently succumbs to
frost, and should not be planted except in well sheltered places.
One of the best of the dwarf species is the Pindo palm (Cocos australis).
This species can be successfully grown in most of our valley counties. Its
handsome form with leaves strongly arched and recurved well qualifies it for
lawn planting. The graceful leaves are of a sage green color, and are usually
covered with a bloom. Unlike the Canary Island date palm it can readily
confine itself to limited space, seldom exceeding twelve feet in height or width.
A unique and striking characteristic is the spiral effect caused by the similar
bending to one side while arching of all the leaves on the plant. The fruit is
edible with a flavor somewhat like that of pineapple.
GUADALUPE ISLAND PALM
The Guadalupe Island palm (Erythea edulis) takes its generic name
from Erythea, one of the Hesperides, Daughter of Evening. It is found in
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the wild state only on Guadalupe Island, off the coast of Lower California.
Under cultivation it is one of the most handsome of the fan-leaved palms.
The large leaves are borne on long stalks, and retain their rich green color
for many years. It bears shiny, black-skinned nuts when comparatively
young. This palm reaches a height of about thirty feet, and does well in all
the valley and coast counties.
BLUE PALM
Blue palm (Glaucothea armata), formerly placed in the same genus with
the Guadalupe Island species, has a silvery blue hue and leaves armed with
curving spines. It is very showy but has a slow growth and is difficult to
transplant. Under favorable conditions it reaches a height of forty feet.
Some very fine specimens are found in the gardens of Santa Barbara. It is
probable that it will do well in the interior valleys since it has proved hardy
in Texas.
DATE PALM
The true date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a native of North Africa
which bears edible dates which mature in some parts of the state. It has
rather a stiff growth when young, but at maturity it is hard to surpass for
scenic effect. The trunk is more slender than the Canary Island palm and
the leaves coarser. Specimens grow as high as 100 feet, some of them grown
from seed from commercial dates reaching a height of fifty feet in thirty years.
An undesirable feature of this palm is its habit of sending out suckers from
the base of the trunk.
CAPE PALM
The Cape palm (Phoenix reclinata), which is a native of South Africa,
has strongly curved leaves which arch gracefully, usually hanging edgeways.
It is well suited for avenue planting and for single specimens on lawns because
of its slender trunk which reaches a height of only about thirty feet. It is
liable to sucker for a time but if the shoots are cut off for a few years, they will
cease to sprout out. This palm thrives best in warm localities on sheltered
situations away from winds and frosts.
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Plate 99. ALEPPO PINE. San Diego.
A pine from the Mediterranean region which thrives well in arid situations in California where it is particularly
adaptable for seaside planting.
Plate 100. CANARY ISLAND PINE. Pasadena.
"As sunbeams stream through liberal space
And nothing jostle or displace,
So waved the pine tree through our thought
And fanned the breeze it never brought."
WINE PALM
The wine palm (Jubaea spectabilis), from Chile, took its generic name
after Juba, king of Numidia. A large trunk of this palm yields about ninety
gallons of sugary sap which is boiled by the Chileans to make palm honey, of
which they are very fond. The fruits look like small cocoanuts and are called
by the trade "monkey's cocoanuts."
This palm has much the same habit as the date palm except that the foliage
is closer. When old it forms a very thick, gray trunk which is free from
leaves. Probably the finest specimen of this palm in the state is found in
Los Angeles. "It is one of the hardiest palms," says Franceschi, "and can
endure drought and many degrees of cold. If liberally treated, it makes a
large tree in a few years."
WINDMILL PALM
The windmill palm (Trachycarpus excelsa) is an Asiatic fan palm which is
known by the dense, black, hairy covering of its slender trunk. It reaches a
height of about thirty feet and has a handsome crown of deeply cut fan-shaped
leaves, giving it somewhat the appearance of a windmill. This palm endures
more cold than any other palm and is easily transplanted and grown. It is
well adapted for street planting since the trunks are very small and require
little space.
DRAGON TREE
The dragon tree (Dracaena draco) takes its generic name from a word
meaning female dragon. Its dried juice is supposed to resemble dragon's
blood. This tree is often called the "Dracaena Palm," which is incorrect,
since it is closely related to the lilies as shown by the flowers. The trees,
which are tropical looking, have sword-shaped leaves and large panicles of
white flowers.
The home of the dragon tree is the Canary Islands. A very famous
tree stood in Teneriffe for many years. It was seventy-five feet tall and had
a hollow trunk forty-eight feet in diameter in which a staircase was built.
Specimens in California are from thirty to fifty feet in height. Their chief
value is for the tropical effect which they give.
(117)
There are various species which are usually associated with the dragon
tree, one of the most common being Cordyline australis, known as "cabbage
tree" to the residents of New Zealand. This plant is hardy in southern Cali-
fornia and does exceptionally well near the coast. In the interior valleys the
trunk suffers from sunburn and is then attacked by borers.
(118)
Plate 101. WEEPING PITTOSPORUM. Goleta.
A native of the deserts of Australia which has much the habit of the weeping willow.
Plate 102. VICTORIAN BOX. Los Angeles.
One of the pittosporums of Australia which is much used for hedges. It reaches tree size in southern California
where it is a favorite because of the beauty of its foliage and flowers.
PART II
TREE LISTS FOR DIFFERENT REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA
The following lists may be of assistance in making selections of trees for
areas having similar growing conditions. They should be used, however,
with great caution because of the wide range of soil and climatic conditions
that exist. These conditions are so variable that it is not an easy matter to
judge how far given species may be suited. In using the lists given, considera-
tion must be given to the results shown by trees in the neighborhood where
it is proposed to plant the desired species.
It is impossible to give lists that will hold for all parts of California.
Detailed inquiry must be made in each case. The State Forester will be glad
to offer advice about the species of trees to select for various parts of the state.
In general, the following points may be used as guides in making selections.
1 . Do not select species that need abundant soil moisture if the natural
water supply is slight.
2. Plant only trees in an alkaline soil that will tolerate the amount of alkali
that may be present.
3 . Do not plant species characteristic of arid sections of the state in semi-
humid regions and do not plant those characteristic of humid regions in arid
sections. Use the native vegetation as a guide and plant only those trees that
will harmonize with it.
No effort is being made to classify all the trees given in this publication
under the lists given since there are many exotics described concerning which
little is known. Chiefly those trees are given which have been well tried
out and which can be secured as a rule from nurserymen.
(119)
REGION I
SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN VALLEYS
Highway Trees
London Plane
California Black Walnut
English Elm
American Elm
Black Locust
Blue Gum
Red Gum
Forest Gray Gum
Olive
European Buckeye
Lombardy Poplar
Carolina Poplar
Silver Maple
Norway Maple
Arizona Ash
California Live Oak
California Sycamore
Lawn and Street Trees
Deodar Cedar
Monkey Puzzle
Norfolk Island Pine
Hawthorn
Bur Oak
Cork Oak
Honey Locust
Crape Myrtle
Albizzia
White Fir
Italian Cypress
Windbreaks
Red Gum
Blue Gum
Monterey Cypress
Incense Cedar
Big Tree
Camphor
Tulip Tree
London Plane
Italian Stone Pine
Valley Oak
Pin Oak
Italian Chestnut
Irish Yew
Arbor Vitae
Desert Gum
Coulter Pine
(120)
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Plate 105. CALIFORNIA SYCAMORE. Sacramento.
"In the outskirts of the village
On the river's winding shores,
Stand the Occidental plane trees,
Stand the ancient sycamores "
— Whittier.
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REGION II
COASTAL
Highway Trees
Coast Redwood
California Black Walnut
Lombardy Poplar
Carolina Poplar
London Plane
English Elm
California Live Oak
Big-leaf Maple
Blue Gum
Red Gum
European Linden
American Elm
Lawn and Street Trees
London Plane
California Sycamore
Silver Maple
Tulip Tree
English Elm
American Elm
Copper Beech
European Buckeye
Bull Bay Magnolia
Colorado Blue Spruce
Empress Tree
Ginkgo
Aleppo Pine
Norway Spruce
Purple-leaved Plum
White Birch
Bur Oak
Madrona
California Laurel
Pink-flowering Locust
Hawthorn
Blackwood Acacia
Deodar Cedar
Lawson Cypress
Bald Cypress
English Holly
Douglas Fir
Windbreaks
Monterey Pine
Coast Redwood
Red Gum
Lombardy Poplar
Monterey Cypress
Incense Cedar
Blue Gum
(121)
REGION III
FOOTHILL
Highway Trees
London Plane
Bur Oak
California Live Oak
Carolina Poplar
Silver Maple
English Elm
American Elm
Lombardy Poplar
Lawn and Street Trees
European Linden
Tulip Tree
Deodar Cedar
Juniper
Big Tree
Incense Cedar
Silver Maple
Lawson Cypress
Colorado Blue Spruce
Windbreaks
Incense Cedar
Monterey Pine
Silver Maple
Lombardy Poplar
Austrian Pine
Carolina Poplar
(122)
Plate 107. LOMBARDY POPLARS. Santa Barbara.
"Now with the breath of coming rain
The poplars sway in troubled row,
Like old wives, rocking to and fro
In pain;
Th«y shake their heads in shocked surprise
And whisper underneath their breath.
Like mourners in a house of death;
Then lift their aprons to their eyes
Again."
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REGION IV
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Highway Trees
Arizona Ash
Arizona Cypress
Deodar Cedar
Cork Oak
Red Gum
Sugar Gum
Lemon-scented Gum
Bull Bay Magnolia
Street and Lawn Trees
Norfolk Island Pine
Jacaranda
Coral Tree
Orchid Tree
Rubber Tree
Camphor
Flame Tree
Canary Island Pine
Bailey's Acacia
Scarlet-flowering Gum
Catalpa
Lawson Cypress
Blue Cypress
Deodar Cedar
Brazilian Pepper
Torrey Pine
Island Iron wood
Victorian Box
Bottle Tree
Brisbane Box
Australian Brush Cherry
Beef wood
Carob
Catalina Cherry
Italian Chestnut
Windbreaks
Monterey Cypress
Red Gum
Monterey Pine
Australian Beech
(123)
ALKALI RESISTANT TREES
STRONGLY RESISTANT
Catalina Cherry
Valley White Oak
Willow
Tamarisk
Bottle Brush
Mulberry
Lombardy Poplar
Carolina Poplar
Red Gum
FAIRLY RESISTANT
Blackwood Acacia
Big Leaf Maple
Beef wood
Carob
Camphor
Italian Cypress
English Elm
Canary Island Pine
Arizona Ash
Honey Locust
California Black Walnut
Aleppo Pine
Cork Oak
Black Locust
London Plane
( 124)
Plate 109. RED BUD. Pasadena.
A small tree bearing innumerable peashaped pink flowers before the leaves appear. The pods remain all summer,
adding to its picturesque appearance.
Plate 110. RED BUD BLOSSOMS. Capay Valley.
The sudden change in spring from bare branches to those covered with pink blossoms makes the red bud one
of the most beautiful ornaments of the hills of northern California.
REFERENCES
American Forestry.
Bailey, L. H.
Standard cyclopedia of horticulture.
Boulger, G. S.
Familiar trees.
Fernow, B. E.
Care of trees.
Franceschi, C. F.
New and little known trees suitable for southern California avenues.
Hall, H. M.
Studies in ornamental trees and shrubs.
Jepson, Willis Linn.
Silva of California.
McLaren, John.
Gardening in California.
Morrison, Ben Y.
Street and highway planting, Bulletin No. 4, California State Board of
Forestry.
Mulford, F. L.
Street trees, Bulletin No. 816, United States Department of Agriculture.
Nursery Catalogues.
California Nursery Company.
Theodore Payne.
Pythian, J. Ernest.
Trees in nature, myth and art.
Sargent, Charles Sprague.
Manual of the trees of North America.
Simmons, J. R.
Historic trees of Massachusetts.
Solotaroff, William.
Shade trees in towns and cities.
Sudworth, George B.
Forest trees of the Pacific slope.
( 12.5 )
"A tree's mere firewood, unless humanized, —
Which well the Greeks knew when they stirred its bark
With close-pressed bosoms of subsiding nymphs,
And made the forest rivers garrulous
With babble of gods."
— Mrs. Browning.
(126)
Plate 111. COAST REDWOOD. Sacramento.
Under cultivation coast redwood makes a rapid growth even when removed from the fog belt.
Plate 112. BIG TREE. Visalia.
"Thy sire saw the light that shone
On Mohammed's uplifted crescent,
On many a royal gilded throne n
And deeds forgotten in the present.
— Bret Harte.
Pate 114. MORETON BAY FIG TRUNK. Los Angeles.
The fantastic development of this tree's buttressed roots gives them a snake-like appearance.
Plate 117. COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE. Burlingame.
A tree with glaucous, silvery foliage, which is an ornament to any lawn.
Plate 118. NORWAY SPRUCE. Sacramento.
The original Christmas tree of northern Europe. It is a graceful tree, the branches of which assume a drooping
habit with axe.
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Plate 120. TULIP TREE. Sacramento.
Here is one of my favorites now before me, a fine yellow poplar, quite straight, perhaps ninety feet high, and
four feet thick at the butt. How strong, vital, enduring! How dumbly eloquent! What suggestions of imperturability
and being, as against the human trait of mere seeming."
—Walt Whitman.
In rem
to the sout
Plate 121. TULIP TREE BLOSSOM.
""""^ '" Gr""land t°E'th" W'th redwood and °'h« '«es which were forced
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Plate 128. DRAGON TREE. Santa Barbara.
A tree from the Canary Islands. Its dried juice is supposed to resemble dragon's blood. It is tropical looking
with sword-shaped leaves and large panicles of white flowers.
Plate 129. BLUE PALM. Pasadena.
A pa.m ,rom Lower California with a silvery b,ue hue and leaves armed with curvins spines
Plate-130. CANARY ISLAND PALM. Pasadena.
A palm introduced into California from the Canary Islands. It is widely used to obtain attractive landscape effects.
Plate 131. CAPE PALM. Los Angeles.
A native of South Africa which has leaves which usually hang edgeways. It is one of the most graceful of the palms.
PJdte 132. COCOS PALMS. Santa Barbara.
— Tennyson.
"The solemn palms were ranged
Above, unwoo'd of summer wind."
Plate 133. DATE PALMS. San Diego.
This palm was regarded as a mystic tree by both the Jews and the Arabs. It was reported to rustle its leaves
even when no wind was stirring, which was looked upon as a form of prophecy that their prophets could interpret.
•Plate 134. GUADALUPE PALM. Pasadena.
Found only in the wild state on Guadalupe Island, off the coast of Lower California. Under cultivation it is
one of the most handsome of the fan-leaved palms.
Plate 135. WINDMILL PALM. Pasadena.
An Asiatic fan palm which has a dense, black, hairy covering on its slender trunk. It is one of the hardiest
palms known.
Plate 136. CALIFORNIA FAN PALM. Los Angeles.
"The marble minarets that begem
Cairo's citadel-diadem
Are not so light as his slender stem.
He lifts his leaves in the sunbeam's glance
As the Almehs lift their arms in dance."
— Bayard Taylor.
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INDEX
ACACIAS— p'ff
BLACKWOOD ACACIA (Acacia melanoxylon) -- 46
BAILEY'S ACACIA (Acacia baileyana) 46
GREEN \\'ATTLE (Acacia decurrens) 46
WEEPING MYALL (Acacia pcndula) Illustration
ACACIA ELATA Illustration
ALBIZZIA (Albizzia julibrissin) 47
ARAUCARIAS —
BuxYA-BuNYA (Araitcaria bidu'illii) 18
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE (Araucaria excelsi) 18
MONKEY PUZZLE (Araucaria imbricata) 18
ARBORVITAE —
GIANT ARBORVITAE (Thuya gigantea) 22
CHINESE ARBORVITAE (Thuya orieutalis) - 23
ASHES —
WHITE ASH ( I-'ra.vinus aincricana) 51
ARIZONA ASH (Fraxinus rclutina) 51
BALD CYPRESS (Ta.rodium distichium) 27
BEECH. COPPER (Fagus sylvatica purpurca) 62
BEEFWOOD, SHE OAK (Castiarina stricta) 58
BIRCHES —
WHITE BIRCH (Betulaalba) 53
WEEPING BIRCH (Betula alba laciniata pendula)-'- 53
Br. ADDER-NUT (Koelrentcria paniculata) 54
BOTTLE BRUSHES —
BOTTLE BRUSH (Callistcmon lanceolatus) 54
BOTTLE BRUSH (Mclalcuca cricifolia) 54
BRISBANE Box (Tristania confcrta) 55
CALIFORNIA LAUREL (Umbellidaria californica) 55
CALIFORNIA NUTMEG (Torrcya californica) 19
CAMPHOR TREE (Cinnamonum camphora) . 56
CAKOB TREE (Ceratonia siliqua) 57
CVIALPA (Catalpa spcciosa) 59
CATALINA CHERRY (Prunus integrifolia) 60
CEDARS —
INCENSE CEDAR f Libocedrits decurrens) 26
LEBANON CEDAR (Ccdrus lcbani)--L 20
DEODAR CEDAR (Cedrus deodara) 21
MOUNT ATLAS CEDAR (Cedrus atlantica) 21
CHRISTMAS BERRY —
CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS BERRY (Photinia arbutifolia) 63
CHINESE CHRISTMAS BERRY (Photinia serrulata) 64
CHESTNUT, CAPE (Calodendrum capensis) 57
CHESTNUT, SPANISH ( Castanea saliva) 61
CHESTNUT, HORSE (Aesculus hippocastanum) 78
CORAL TREE (Erythrina crista-galli) 62
CRAPE MYRTLE (Lagerstrocuiin indica) 63
(129)
INDEX — Continued
CYPRESSES Pagr
( a-.\ii.\i.ri'K CYPRESS (Cupressvs guadolupensis) 25
MONTKRKY CYPRKSS (Citpressus macrocarpa) 24
ITALIAN CYPRESS (Cupressus sejnpervirens) 24
ARIZONA CYPRESS (Cuprcssus arizonica) 25
CRYPTOMERIA, JAPANESE CEDAR (Cryptameria japonica) 30
Doc. WOOD, MOUNTAIN (Corntts niittallii) 64
DOUGLAS FIR (Pscudotsuga taxifolia) 31
DRAGON TREE (Dracaena draco) 117
ELMS—
HUNTINGTON ELM (Ulmits glubra vegeta) 68
CAMPERDOWN ELM (Ulmus glabra camperdownii Illustration
ENGLISH ELM (Ulmus campcstris) 67
AMERICAN ELM (Ulmus amcricana) 66
EMPRESS TREE (Pauloivtiia imperialis) 68
EUCALYPTUS —
SUGAR GUM (Eucalyptus corynocalyx) 71
BLUE GUM (Eucalyptus globiilus)' 70
RED GUM (Eucalyptus rostrata)-- 70
MANNA GUM (Eucalyptus I'iininalis) 70
LEMON-SCENTED GUM (Eucalyptus citriodora) • 71
DESERT GUM (Eucalyptus rudis) 71
SCARLET-FLOWERING GUM (Eucalyptus ficifolia) 72
WHITE IRONBARK (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) 72
AUSTRALIAN BEECH (Eucalyptus pol\anthema) 72
SPOTTED GUM (Eucalyptus calophylla) —•. 72
EUGENIA, AUSTRALIAN BRUSH CHERRY (Eugenia m\rtifolia) 7^
FIRS-
SPANISH FIR (Abies pinsapo) 33
WHITE FIR (Abies concolor) 32
NORDMAN'S SILVER FIR (Abies nordmammna) 32
EUROPEAN SILVER FIR (Abies pectinata). 33
GINKGO (Ginko biloba) 33
GOLDEN CHAIN (Laburnum I'ulgare) 73
I I \\VTHORNS —
ENGLISH HAWTHORN (Crataegcgus oxyacantha) 75
PAUL'S DOUBLE- FLOWERING HAWTHORN (Cratacgus monogyna panlii) Illustration
HICKORIES —
SHAGHARK HICKORY (Hicoria ovata) 76
PECAN (Hicoria pecan) 76
HOLLY, ENGLISH (Ilex aquifolium) 78
I 1 YMK. \OSPORUM (Hymenosporum flavitm) 79
IROVWOOD, ISLAND (Lyonothamnus floribundus var asplenifolius) 58
JACARAXDA (Jacaranda ovalifolia) 80
JERUSALEM THORN (Parkinsonia aculcata) 80
Jrxii'KKS —
CALIFORNIA JUNIPER (Juniperus californica) 30
CREEPING JAPANESE JUNIPER (Juniperus chinensis procumbens) 30
LAUREL (Laurns nobilis) ' 81
LINDEN, EUROPEAN (Tilia curopaca) 81
(130)
INDEX — Continued
LOCUSTS — P°g'
BLACK Locutfr (Robinia pseudacacia) 47
PIXK-FLOWERING LOCUST (Robinia pseudacacia decaisneana) Illustration
HONEY LOCUST (Glcditschia triacanthos) 48
MADRONA (Arbutus mensiesii) 82
MAGNOLIA, BULL BAY (Magnolia grandiflora) __ 84
MAPLES —
SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccliaruin) 86
BIG-LEAF MAPLE (Acer macro phy Hum) 86
NORWAY MAPLE (Acer platanoides) 87
MAYTEN (Maytciius boaria) 87
MULBERRIES —
RED MULBERRY (Morns rnbra) . 88
TEAS' WEEPING MULBERRY (Morns alba tartarica pendula) Illustration
OAKS —
CALIFORNIA LIVE OAK (Quercus agrifolia) 92
VALLEY WHITE OAK (Quercus lobata) 91
CORK OAK (Quercus subcr) 92
BUR OAK (Quercus macrocarpa) .__ 93
OLEANDER (Neriuin oleander) 93
OLIVE (Olca europaca) . 94
ORCHID TREE (Bcmhinia purpiirca) 95
PAGODA TREE (Sophora japonica pendula) 95
PALMS —
BLUE PALM (Glaucothea armata) 116
CANARY ISLAND PALM (Phoeni.r canariensis) 114
CAPE PALM (Phoenix reclinata) 116
Cocos PALM (Cocos botryophora) : 115
DATE PALM (Phoenix dactylifera) 116
CALIFORNIA FAN PALM (Washingtonia filifera) 114
GUADALUPE PALM (Erythea edulis) 115
Pi NIX) PALM (Cocos australis) 115
\VI.\HMILL PALM (Trachycarpus c.rcelsa) 117
WINE PALM (Jubaea spectabilis) 117
PEPPER TREES —
CALIFORNIA PEPPER TREE (Schinus molle) 95
BRAZILIAN PEPPER TREE (Schiinis terebinthifolius) 96
PINES —
TORREY PINE (Finns torreyana) 37
CANARY ISLAND PINE (Finns canariensis) 38
COULTER PINE (Pinus coulteri) 38
ALEPPO PINE (Pinus halepensis) , 39
MONTEREY PINE (Pinus radiata) 37
ITALIAN STONE PINE (Pinus pinea) 35
AUSTRIAN PINE (Pinus laricio austriaca) . 36
PISTACHE (Pistacia chinensis) 96
PlTTOSPORU M S
VICTORIAN Box (Pittosporum undulatum) . 97
WEEPING PITTOSPORUM (Pittosporum phillyraeoides) 97
PLUM, PURPLE-LEAF (Primus pissardii) 59
( 131 )
INDEX— Continued
I'nl'I.AKS
CAROLINA POPLAR (Populus dcltoides caroliiicnsis) 99
LOMIIARDY POPLAR (Populns nigra italica) 99
WEEPING PoptAS (Populns tremula pendula) 97
I'RIVKT, JAPANESE (Ligustrum japonictim) 100
KiCD-r.i'D ( Ccrcis occidentalis) 101
KKDWOODS —
BIG TREE (Sequoia gigantea) 28
COAST REDWOOD (Sequoia tempervirent) 28
RnwER TREES —
INDIA RUIIDER TREK (Ficus clastica) 102
MORETON BAY FIG (Picus macrophylla) 102
SILK OAK (Grevillca robusta) : 102
SPRUCES —
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE (Picea pungcns) 40
NORWAY SPRUCE (Picea e.vcelsa) 40
ORIENTAL SPRUCE (Picea arientalis) 41
SITKA SPRUCE (Picea sitchcnsis) 41
STERCULIAS —
FLAME TREE (Sterculia acerifolia) 103
VICTORIAN BOTTLE TREE (Sterculia dh'crsifolia) 103
SYCAMORES —
CALIFORNIA SYCAMORE (Platanus racemosa) 104
LONDON PLANE (Platanus acerifolia) 104
TAMARISK (Tamarix gallica) 106
THUYOPSIS. JAPANESE ARBORYITAE (Thnyopsis dolobrata) 23
TULIP TREE (Liriodcndron tnlipifera) 106
UMBRELLA TREE (Melia azedarach var umbraculiformis} 108
WALNUT, CALIFORNIA BLACK (Juglans californica) no
WILLOW, WEEPING (Salix babylonica) 112
YEWS —
ENGLISH YEW (Taxus baccata) 42
IRISH YEW (Ta.rus baccata fastigiata) 43
WESTERN YEW (Ta.rus brevifolia) 43
XKI.KOVA, JAPANESE ELM (Zelkova serrata) Illustration
11898 2-22 2500 ( 132 }
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