Tour starting point - the now-abandoned Russian Consulate at 2790 Green Street

This week’s tree walk takes us to the adjoining neighborhoods of Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights, among the more affluent neighborhoods in the City. Elegant homes perch along tree-lined streets affording magnificent views north to the Bay. Generous budgets for landscape maintenance in this area often mean that trees are regularly pruned and shaped to preserve those views.

This walk begins next to the former Russian Consulate on outer Green Street (they were invited to leave a couple of years ago, and the building, still own by Russia, appears to be empty now). The walk heads east on Green to Broderick Street, north on Broderick to Union Street, west on Union to Baker Street. It then crosses Union and continues east on Union to Divisadero Street and uphill to Vallejo Street (in Pacific Heights). The walk heads west on Vallejo to Baker Street, and back downhill to the start at Green and Baker. This walk is about a mile long, and does include both uphill and downhill stretches.

Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana), with the Russian consulate in the background on the left — Kentia palms (*Howea forsteriana*), with the Russian consulate in the background on the left

Numbered trees are labeled with common and scientific names and country of origin, all written in white chalk on the sidewalk; accompanying numbers, in blue, run from 1 to 37. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour is the same: Jason Dewees (author of Designing with Palms), Richard Turner (retired editor of Pacific Horticulture), and I’m Mike Sullivan, author of Trees of San Francisco.

Green Street, Baker to Broderick, north side

1. 2770 Green Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana), Lord Howe Island, Australia (a pair of trees in the sidewalk next to this beautifully tended garden, designed by Piotr Mazurek of Garden Fantasia)

2. 2750 Green Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas

3. 2722 Green Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species

Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) — Southern magnolia (*Magnolia grandiflora*)

4. 2700 Green Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), Southern China and Vietnam

5. 2700 Green New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (2 trees; this is the #2 most common tree in San Francisco, where it loves the climate; note the aerial roots)

Turn left on Broderick. Broderick Street, Green to Union, west side

6. 2745 Broderick Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Southeast USA (state tree of Mississippi)

Turn left on Union. Union Street, Broderick to Baker, south side

7. 2727 Union Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile (4 trees)

8. 2749 Union Moreton Bay fig (Ficus macrophylla), Eastern Australia (note the aerial roots emerging from the trunk)

Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) — Mediterranean fan palm (*Chamaerops humilis*)

9. 2759 Union Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeast Australia

Cross the Street at Baker and backtrack on Union’s north side. Union Street, Baker to Broderick, north side

10. 2784 Union Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Western Mediterranean Basin (northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

11. 2728 Union Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (3 trees)

12. 2700 Union Red maple (Acer rubrum), Florida to Canada to Texas

Union Street, Broderick to Divisadero, north side

13. 2680 Union Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), West and Central China (foliage is taking on autumn colors)

14. 2664 Union Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (a magnificent specimen)

15. 2636 Union Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), East Asia (4 trees)

[16 not used]

17. 2616 Union Rusty-leafed fig (Ficus rubiginosa), Eastern Australia (another fig, Ficus pumila, is climbing on the walls below and behind these 5 trees)

18. 2600 Union Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South & Southeast Asia to Northern Australia (4 trees; a common, albeit problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)

Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) — Chinese windmill palm (*Trachycarpus fortunei*)

19. 2600 Union Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia (tree is on Divisadero; this tree loves San Francisco’s climate; the flowers on this specimen are orange)

Turn right/uphill at Divisidero. Divisadero Street, Union to Green, east side

20. 2740 Divisadero European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Europe (the tree is against the stairs, next to the utilities)

21. 2710 Divisadero Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (these two trees have been “skinned”: the fuzzy leaf bases have been pruned off to reveal the ringed trunks; note this richly planted garden, also designed by Piotr Mazurek)

**Continue uphill one more block to Vallejo**

You’ll never see a more beautiful or densely planted sidewalk cut than under this Trachycarpus!

Turn right at Vallejo Street. Vallejo Street, Divisadero to Broderick, north side

22. 2898 Vallejo Eucryphia trees (Eucryphia x ‘Nymansay’), hybrid of Chilean species (2 trees flanking the front window; fragrant white flowers in August)

Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus) — Brisbane box (*Lophostemon confertus*)

23. 2730 Vallejo Akebono flowering cherry (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’), Japan

24. 2732 Vallejo Hybrid date palm (Phoenix x, likely P. canariensis x roebelenii)

25. 2732 Vallejo Snowy River wattle (Acacia boormanii), Southeast Australia (uncommon in San Francisco; these trees create a curtain to shield the windows)

26. 2760 Vallejo Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), Eastern Mediterranean Basin (seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

27. 2760 Vallejo Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia

28. 2780-2782 Vallejo London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (these five trees, like many in the neighborhood, have been pollarded over the years, meaning repetitively cut at the same point to cause the branch to form a large, bulbous endpoint)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia) leaf — London plane tree (*Platanus* x *acerifolia*) leaf

Vallejo Street, Broderick to Baker, north side

29. 2820 Vallejo Wisteria “tree” (Wisteria sinensis), China (typically a vine, this one has been pruned into a tree-like shrub)

30. 2828 Vallejo Red horse chestnut (Aesculus x carnea), hybrid of European and American species (4 trees; these are city champions - the biggest in San Francisco; they have spectacular red flowers when they bloom in May)

**The pink flowering vine on the fence in front of 2856 Vallejo is Mandevilla ‘Alice du Pont’**

31. 2858 Vallejo Little Gem magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), Southeast USA

32. 2880 Vallejo Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Chile

33. 2900 Vallejo Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Australia, Norfolk Island (tree is across the street, at the northwest corner of Vallejo and Baker; it’s rare to see this tree planted in the sidewalk)

Turn right/downhill at Baker Street. Baker Street, Vallejo to Green, east side

34. 2898 Vallejo Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand (rows of this tree are on both sides of Baker, north of Vallejo)

35. 2536 Baker New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium), New Zealand (this species has two color forms in San Francisco - pink and deeper red; the tree is well adapted to San Francisco’s climate and soils)

36. 2550 Baker European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia (not usually well-adapted to San Francisco)

37. 2552 Baker Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly San Francisco’s most planted tree, but rarely planted now)

This tree walk ends at the Russian Consulate at the northeast corner of Green and Baker, a few yards ahead.

Our regular commercial: This walking tour was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco and webmaster of www.sftrees.com; Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine . You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. Richard edited another great book on San Francisco trees: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!