One of the city’s best coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia) at 19th and Noe — One of the city’s best coast live oaks (*Quercus agrifolia*) at 19th and Noe

This week’s San Francisco #covidtreetour, where we chalk tree descriptions and -> directional arrows -> on sidewalks, to allow social-distancing walkers to safely explore the urban forest, was in the Castro/Eureka Valley neighborhood. Our group 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.

This tour is concentrated in the eastern end of Eureka Valley, between 18th and 19th streets, in the blocks east of Castro Street. It begins at the Noe Hill Market, 19th and Noe, with a magnificent coast live oak, one of San Francisco’s few native tree species.

The walk heads east on 19th Street to Sanchez Street, then north on Sanchez to Hancock Street, east on Hancock to Church Street, returns west on Hancock to Noe Street, jogs south on Noe and then returns north on Noe to 18th Street, east on 18th to Sanchez, then west on 18th to Hartford Street, south on Hartford to 19th Street, and east on 19th to the tour’s beginning at Noe Street.

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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 59. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

19th Street, SW corner of Noe

1. 4001 - 18th Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), California native! And one of the few trees native to San Francisco (tree is on Noe)

19th Street, Noe to Sanchez, south side

2. 3995 - 19th Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas

3. 3995 - 19th Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), with my masked cohorts Richard Turner (left) and Jason Dewees (right). — Mexican fan palm (*Washingtonia robusta*), with my masked cohorts Richard Turner (left) and Jason Dewees (right).

4. 3975 - 19th Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California, Mexico

5. 3959 - 19th New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand

6. 3956 - 19th Western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), a California native, but rare on San Francisco streets (across the street)

7. 3957 - 19th Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia & S Pacific Islands

8. 3943 - 19th Yarwood plane tree or sycamore (Platanus ‘Yarwood’), originated at Sather Tower, UC Berkeley (these two trees are being pollarded; google the word to understand what that’s about)

9. 3931 - 19th Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA native (above wall on private propert.y). Turn left and head downhill on Sanchez

Sanchez Street, 19th to Hancock, west side

10. 590 Sanchez Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China

11. 580 Sanchez Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), E Australia

12. 567 Sanchez Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands (across the street)

13. 526 Sanchez Wheel tree (Trochodendron aralioides), S Korea, Japan, Taiwan (the green plant at eye level between sidewalk and house). This is a very rare plant in San Francisco. Turn right on Hancock Street.

Hancock Street, Sanchez to Church, south side

14. 93 Hancock Eastern dogwood (Cornus florida ) E North America (note the one branch with variegated foliage — a sport or mutation)

15. 93 Hancock Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum) E Australia (5 trees)

16. 93 Hancock Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), Japan

Pin oak (Quercus palustris) - this tree is identifiable by its deeply lobed leaves — Pin oak (*Quercus palustris*) - this tree is identifiable by its deeply lobed leaves

17. 77 Hancock Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (formerly SF’s most planted street tree)

18. 57 Hancock Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), SW Australia

19. 55 Hancock Saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), hybrid selection

20. 45 Hancock Pin oak (Quercus palustris), Midwest USA

21. 31-33 Hancock Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), Brazil (2 trees)

Please cross the street carefully here.

Hancock Street, Church to Sanchez, north side

22. 646 Church Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (tree is on Hancock)

little leaf linden (Tilia cordata) in bloom, with one of the plant’s yellowish-green “bracts” showing to the right of the flowers — little leaf linden (*Tilia cordata*) in bloom, with one of the plant’s yellowish-green “bracts” showing to the right of the flowers

23. 646 Church Little-leaf linden (Tilia cordata), Eurasia (tree is on Hancock)

24. 646 Church Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), Brazil

25. 20 Hancock Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), SE USA

26. 44 Hancock California buckeye (Aesculus californica ), San Francisco native tree!

27. 545 Sanchez Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin (3 trees are on Hancock)

28. 545 Sanchez Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) SW Europe to Ireland (tree is on Hancock)

Hancock Street, Sanchez to Noe, north side

29. 112 Hancock Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), SE Australia (3 trees)

30. 118 Hancock Ficus (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), India to China

31. 122 Hancock Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), E Australia (a fantastic specimen)

32. 132 Hancock Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), a California native - and one of the few trees native to San Francisco

Please cross the street carefully here

Hancock Street, Sanchez to Noe, south side

coast banksia (Banksia integrifolia) showing its "flower spike", an inflorescence made up of several hundred flowers densely packed around a woody axis — coast banksia (*Banksia integrifolia*) showing its "flower spike", an inflorescence made up of several hundred flowers densely packed around a woody axis

33. 135 Hancock Coast banksia (Banksia integrifolia), E Australia (above the wall, next to the garage

34. 135 Hancock Marjory Channon pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Marjory Channon’), New Zealand

35. 137 Hancock Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii), S China, Laos, Vietnam

36. 183 Hancock Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), W Australia (above the fence)

37. 183 Hancock Zunca palm (Parajubaea sunkha), Bolivia (very rare in San Francisco - we need more of these!)

Turn uphill on Noe

Noe Street, south of Hancock, east side

38. 559 Noe Pomegranate (Punica granatum), W & Central Asia (a particularly fine specimen)

Backtrack - turn downhill on Noe

Noe Street, Hancock to 18th, east side

39. 549 Noe Cabbage tree or tī kōuka in Maori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia

40. 526 Noe Orange trees (Citrus sinensis), S Asia (across the street)

18th Street, Noe to Sanchez, south side

41. 3955 - 18th Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), E Australia

42. 3933 - 18th Brisbane box (Lophomyrtus confertus), E Australia

At Sanchez Street, cross 18th and backtrack on 18th - head back towards Noe on the north side of the street.

18th Street, Sanchez to Noe, north side

43. 3914 - 18th Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), China (2 trees)

44. 3938 - 18th White champaca (Magnolia x alba), hybrid of SE Asian species (watch for the fragrant flowers)

45. 3946 - 18th Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas

18th Street, Noe to Hartford, north side

a Melaleuca species - but not sure which one. This tree stumped all three of us!

46. 4000 - 18th Paperbark tree (Melaleuca sp.), Australia (tree is on Noe)

47. 4002 - 18th Loquat (Rhaphiolepis loquata, syn. Eriobotrya japonica), SE China (fruit is edible)

48. 4016 - 18th Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), E Australia. Turn left and head uphill on Hartford.

Hartford Street, 18th to 19th, east side

49. 115 Hartford Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), E Asia (tree was grafted at chest height)

50. 147 Hartford Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), E Australia (purple-leafed form)

148 Hartford Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), E Australia (green-leafed form, across the street)

51. 142 Hartford Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), SW Australia (across the street)

52. 157 Hartford Gold medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla), Brazil

53. 167 Hartford Plum tree (Prunus x domestica), cultivated hybrid

54. 171 Hartford Kwanzan flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’), E Asia (front tree)

Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’) — Angel’s trumpet (*Brugmansia* ‘Charles Grimaldi’)

Avocado tree (Persea americana), Mexico & Central America (tall tree behind the cherr at this address)

Dragon tree (Dracaena draco), Canary Islands (spiky plant behind the cherry)

55. 173 Hartford Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’), hybrid of South American species, named for the late San Francisco garden designer)

56. 187 Hartford Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), E Australia (3 trees). Turn left at 19th Street.

19th Street, Hartford to Noe, north side

57. 193 Noe Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii), hybrid of Acer rubrum & Acer saccharinum, both from E North America (tree is on 19th)

58. 4025 - 19th Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum) E Australia (across the street; white flowers are strongly fragrant)

59. 4002 - 19th Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), E Asia

There are a couple more interesting trees that we didn’t include on the tour - if you walk uphill on Noe from 19th to the corner of Cumberland (on the left side as you ascend, you’ll see two very large trees in the sidewalk just past Cumberland. These are swamp mahoganies (Eucalyptus robusta) - a rare tree in San Francisco, and we think these are the largest specimens in the City.

This walking tour of was organized by Mike Sullivan, author of The Trees of San Francisco (if you like this tour, there are 12 more neighborhood tree tours in Mike’s book), Jason Dewees, horticulturist at Flora Grubb Gardens and author of Designing with Palms; and Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine and editor of Trees of Golden Gate Park. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books! You can follow Mike (@sftreeguy) and Jason (@loulufan) on Instagram.