If there is one iconic neighborhood in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill is it. On a beautiful but worrisomely dry Saturday, the neighborhood’s trees drew us to enjoy spectacular views of the Bay, the downtown skyline, and Russian and Nob hills, along with the distinctive gardens of the Filbert Steps. Narrow streets don’t always allow for generous tree plantings, but we found quite a few trees of interest in this week’s tour.

Our walk begins at the northeast corner of Washington Square at Stockton and Filbert streets, opposite the popular Mama’s restaurant. It then heads north on Stockton to Greenwich Street, east on Greenwich for two blocks to its dead end below Coit Tower, then back west to Grant Avenue, south on Grant to Filbert, and east on Filbert to Kearny Street. At the intersection of Filbert and Kearny, the walk heads east up the steps toward Coit Tower, then back down the east side of the hill on the Filbert Steps to Montgomery Street, south on the east side of Montgomery to Vallejo Street, west on Vallejo to Columbus Avenue, northwest on Columbus to Stockton, and north on Stockton. At Union Street, the walk circles Washington Square in a clockwise direction, heading west on Union, northwest on Columbus, and finally east on Filbert, back to the beginning of the tour at Stockton and Filbert. This walk is approximately 2 miles long. Be forewarned that there are several flights of stairs on Filbert, Montgomery, and Vallejo streets; this is, after all, a hill.

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

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

Washington Square, northeast corner

1. Stockton at Filbert Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Australia and South Pacific Islands. Sadly, these 3 trees have been topped (what’s that about, Recreation & Park Department?), but they remain the biggest specimens of this tree in San Francisco.

Filbert Street, west of Stockton, north side

2. 620 Filbert Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), Southeast Asia (typically grown as a house plant in most of the country)

Stockton Street, Filbert to Greenwich, west side

3. 1736 Stockton Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), Eastern Australia (3 trees across the street, in front of the Maybeck Building; Bernard Maybeck was one of the Bay Area’s most important architects)

Stockton Street, north of Greenwich, west side

4. 1821 Stockton Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana), Eastern Australia (often the first species to bloom in January - this tree was just beginning to bloom on our visit)

5. 1801 Stockton Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), Eastern Australia (a large-leafed selection of the water gum seen at #41)

Greenwich Street, Stockton to Grant, north side

6. 576 Greenwich Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (the first in this row is one of San Francisco’s shapeliest specimens and is a rare female ginkgo, hence foul-smelling fruit in autumn)

7. 568 Greenwich Guadalupe palm (Brahea edulis), Guadalupe Island, Mexico (above the wall; this species is perfectly adapted to San Francisco)

8. 526 Greenwich Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (this tree is the other female in the row – on our visit we could see fruits on the sidewalk and a few still hanging in the upper branches of the tree)

Greenwich Street, east of Grant, north side

9. 444 Greenwich Loquat (Rhaphiolepis loquata, syn. Eriobotrya japonica), Southeastern China (fruit is edible)

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) — Canary Island date palm (*Phoenix canariensis*)

10. 442 Greenwich Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (the furry trunk is characteristic of this palm)

Octopus tree, (Schefflera actinophylla), N Australia)

11. 430 Greenwich Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands

Greenwich Street, east of Grant, south side

12. 427 Greenwich Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum), Brazil (city champion: the largest specimen of this species in San Francisco)

13. 439 Greenwich Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Eastern North America (2 trees) These trees, like the horse chestnut next door at 447 Greenwich, have been heavily pruned, apparently to preserve views.

Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) - we think this may be a “City Champion: - biggest philodendron in SF! — Philodendron (*Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum*) - we think this may be a “City Champion: - biggest philodendron in SF!

14. 447 Greenwich Horse chestnut (Aesculus sp.), Eurasia

15. 449 Greenwich Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), South Asia (a common, although often problematic, street tree throughout San Francisco)

16. 459 Greenwich English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), western and central Europe

17. 483 Greenwich Fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East Africa (4 trees)

A “rock library” on Grant with a Kerouac quote - only on Telegraph Hill!

Grant Avenue, Greenwich to Filbert, west side

18. 1653 Grant London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern USA species and European species (2 trees)

19. 1601 Grant Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeastern USA

Filbert Street, Grant to Kearny, north side

20. 480 Filbert Brush cherry (Syzygium australe), Eastern Australia

21. 456 Filbert White alder (Alnus rhombifolia), California native

End of Filbert Street at Kearny, inside the park

22. Inside the park Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (source of pine nuts/pignoli)

**Take the steps up to Telegraph Hill Boulevard and Coit Tower**

Filbert Steps east of Kearny, north side

23. ¾ up the steps Ombu (Phytolacca dioica), Argentina

**Follow Lombard Hill Boulevard for a few yards, then take the Filbert Steps down toward Montgomery Street**

Filbert Steps, east of Lombard Hill Blvd, north side

24. first set of steps Karo (Pittosporum crassifolium), New Zealand

25. 310 Filbert Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia), Eastern Australia (this small tree has been artfully trained over the gate to the entry walk)

26. 300 Filbert Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), New Caledonia. Similar to Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), but this species has a pronounced lean or curve at its base - it was only recently learned that the tree always leans towards the equator, so here it is leaning towards the south, but in the southern hemisphere it leans north.

**Turn left when you hit the landing**

27. 300 Filbert Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), Southern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; loves San Francisco!)

28. 300 Filbert Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California and Sonora, Mexico

**Continue down the last flight of steps to the upper part of Montgomery, cross the street, and take the next set of steps down to the lower part of Montgomery, then head south**

Montgomery Street, Filbert to Union, east side

29. 1360 Montgomery Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Japan, China, Korea (this Art Deco building from 1937 was featured in the 1947 movie, “Dark Passage,” starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart)

30. 1360 Montgomery Cabbage tree or tī koūka in Māori (Cordyline australis), New Zealand

**Note the row of Italian stone pines in the median of Montgomery**

31. 1308 Montgomery Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’), a variety of Eurasian species (2 trees in the median)

**Continue south on Montgomery, down the steps, and on to Vallejo Street**

Vallejo Street, Montgomery to Kearny, north side

32. top of first set of steps Giant bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia nicolai), South Africa (one of San Francisco’s biggest specimens of this species)

33. 418 Vallejo Flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata), East Asia

34. 420 Vallejo Mountain aloe (Aloe marlothii), South Africa

35. 420 Vallejo Bearss lime (Citrus x latifolia), Southeast Asia

36. 442 Vallejo Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), Eastern Australia

37. 455 Vallejo Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), Southeastern Australia (six trees across the street)

38. 470 Vallejo Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

39. 490 Vallejo Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), Southwest Australia

Vallejo Street, Kearny to Grant, south side

WOW - this Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) was an unexpected find at the corner of Vallejo and Kearny! — WOW - this Tulip tree (*Liriodendron tulipifera*) was an unexpected find at the corner of Vallejo and Kearny!

40. 1165 Kearny Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Eastern North America (tree is on Vallejo at Kearny; possibly a “City Champion”; certainly one of San Francisco’s largest specimens)

41. 551 Vallejo Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), Eastern Australia (this tree grows in streamside locations in the wild, hence the common name; it is San Francisco’s most commonly planted street tree)

42. 1268 Grant Red maple (Acer rubrum), Ontario to Florida to Texas (two trees on Vallejo)

**There are few trees on the route along Columbus Avenue from Vallejo to Stockton, and on Stockton from Columbus to Union; enjoy the aromas of the many coffee shops and Italian restaurants along the way, and hope for an end to the pandemic so we may again enjoy the gastronomic pleasures of this neighborhood**

Washington Square, south side (all trees are within the park)

43. Union near Stockton Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), Eastern Australia (2 trees)

44. West of #43 Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica), Morocco and Algeria

45. Near the Pit Stop Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to southwest Oregon; California coastal native (tallest tree species in the world)

46 Union near Columbus Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas (3 young trees with brown fuzzy buds that will soon open into large fragrant white flowers)

Washington Square, west side (all trees are within the park)

47. Columbus near Filbert Fastigiate European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’), northwest Europe to Iran (eight young trees)

Washington Square, north side (all trees are within the park)

London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia) in Washington Square park — London plane tree (*Platanus* x *acerifolia)* in Washington Square park

48. Filbert opposite the church London plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of Eastern American and European species (six tall, deciduous trees)

49. Filbert near Stockton Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas

The Telegraph Hill Tree Walk ends here, a few yards from its beginning at Stockton and Filbert.

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!