Yes, another chilly, overcast, and ridiculously windy summer day in San Francisco… We chose to focus today’s walk on a portion of the Mission District that merges with the Liberty Hill Historic District, between 19th and 23rd streets and between Valencia and Guerrero streets. We have touched on this neighborhood before, but this tour focused on the blocks between Valencia and Guerrero. In addition to some striking mature trees and magnificent Victorian-era homes in the Liberty Hill area, there are plenty of appealing dining and drinking establishments to enjoy along Valencia Street.

Today’s walk begins in front of the Mission Pool and Playground, on 19th Street at Linda Street. Head east on 19th to Valencia Street, then south on Valencia to 20th Street. Head west on 20th to Guerrero, then south on Guerrero to Liberty Street, and east on Liberty back to Valencia. Continue south on Valencia to 21st Street, west on 21st to Guerrero, south again on Guerrero to Hill Street, east on Hill to Valencia, south on Valencia to 22nd, and east on 22nd to Guerrero again. At Guerrero, cross 22nd and head back east on 22nd to San Jose Avenue, then south on San Jose to Alvarado Street, west briefly on Alvarado and then back to San Jose. Head south on San Jose to the SW corner of 23rd Street. The tour ends here; unlike most of our tours, this is a one-way route, not a loop. Go back to Valencia to return to the start of the tour. This one-way walk is under two miles in length.

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

19th Street, Linda to Valencia, north side

1. 19th at Linda We decided to start our tour with one of our favorite trees in San Francisco. This spotted gum (Corymbia maculata) is the tall tree with almost white bark, against the building). It’s native to eastern Australia - and this tree made it onto my “top 10” list of all of San Francisco’s trees!

2. 3543 - 19th English walnut (Juglans regia), Balkans, Iran, and India to Central China (tree is in the rear yard of the blue house; the best walnut for eating)

3. 3519 - 19th Weeping bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis), E Australia (an uncommonly tall specimen)

4. 3519 - 19th Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis), W & C China (not commonly planted in SF, since it prefers greater summer heat to develop its spectacular fall foliage colors)

5. 3505 - 19th Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), S Asia to Australia (2 trees, the only ones in SF; a weed elsewhere; one of the few trees in the mahogany family found in SF)

Valencia Street, 19th to 20th, west side

6. 850 Valencia Shiny xylosma (Xylosma congestum), China (3 trees along the northern fence line within the park; rare in SF; often grown as a large shrub)

7. 850 Valencia Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii), hybrid of Acer rubrum & Acer saccharinum, both from E North America (3 trees in the sidewalk in front of the Mission Playground)

20th Street, Valencia to Guerrero, south side

8. 3635 - 20th Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island, South Pacific

9. 3653 - 20th Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonia), Norfolk and Lord Howe islands (soft pink flowers will begin appearing soon)

Guerrero Street, 20th to Liberty, east side

10. 823 Guerrero Mulberry (Morus alba), China (tree is across the street; the large leaves are the only food of the silkworm, from whose cocoons we get silk thread)

11. 827 Guerrero Cabbage tree (Sonchus brassicifolius), Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile (short tree with large roundish lives, just above the wall; extremely rare in SF)

12. 827 Guerrero Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’), Atlas Mountains of Morocco & Algeria

Liberty Street, Guerrero to Valencia, north side

13. 845 Guerrero Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (these 3 trees are all females; note the fruits developing; when ripe, they will be exceedingly foul-smelling)

14. 82 Liberty New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (this tree flowers most reliably in summer months, which would be Christmas time in NZ, south of the equator)

15. 82 Liberty Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), S Asia to N Australia (formerly one of SF’s most planted trees)

16. 50 Liberty Shamel ash (Fraxinus uhdei), Mexico to Central America (much of the street is planted with these trees, many of which were pollarded at some point in their lives)

**Continue south on Valencia to 21st

21st Street, Valencia to Guerrero, south side

17. 3325 - 21st Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), E Australia (a row of several trees)

** Note the row of beautiful ginkgos in the middle of this block

Guerrero Street, 21st to Hill, east side

18. 906 Guerrero Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), West Coast & Rocky Mountains to S Mexico (tall conifer with needle-like leaves across the street; a CA native tree!)

19. 940 Guerrero Camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora), E and SE Asia (two trees across the street, recently pruned to be quite open; this tree prefers more summer warmth and is seldom planted in SF)

20. Guerrero median Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), Australia, mostly in the interior of the continent (many trees are planted in the median for several blocks of Guerrero; long slender leaves)

Hill Street, Guerrero to Valencia, south side

21. 99 Hill Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (watch for the big show of blue purple flowers soon; these heat loving trees are becoming more common in SF, especially in warmer areas like the Mission District—all thanks to climate change)

22. 949 Guerrero Raywood ash (Fraxinus augustifolia ‘Raywood’), C & S Europe, NW Africa, SW Asia (tree is on the north side of Hill Street; a selected seedling found in a South Australia garden)

23. 87 Hill Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), E Asia (though usually grown as a shrub for its beautiful late winter/spring flowers, Japanese camellia is actually a small tree; note shrubby forms in front of the neighboring house)

Beautiful Mexican marigold (***Tagetes lemmonii)*** on the north side of Hill Street

24. 83 Hill Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (pink flowers usually appear by February; formerly SF’s most planted street tree; totally without leaves through fall and winter)

25. 53 Hill London plane tree (Platanus x hispanica, formerly Platanus x acerifolia), hybrid of E USA species and European species; it is among the most commonly planted trees in cities around the world)

26. 49 Hill Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Korea and Japan

27. 41 Hill Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (this hybrid was first introduced in San Francisco)

Closeup of flowers of Marina strawberry tree (*Arbutus* ‘Marina’)

28. 25 Hill Australian willow or wilga (Geijera parviflora), E & SE Australia (this tree generally prefers the warmth of the eastern parts of the city). This is the best example of this species in San Francisco that we’ve found!

29. 1 Hill Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California & Sonora, Mexico (2 trees trees with short trunks; California’s most commonly planted palm)

Valencia Street, Hill to 22nd, west side

30. 1098 Valencia Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), E Australia

22nd Street, Valencia to Guerrero, north side

31. 1098 Valencia Hybrid Fogg michelia (Magnolia x foggii), hybrid of Asian species, M. figo and M. doltsopa (tree is on 22nd; watch for fragrant white flowers opening from the furry brown buds)

32. 3326 - 22nd Paradox walnut (Juglans hindsii x J. regia), hybrid of CA native and European species (2 trees; be sure to read the story about them in the shop window)

33. 3334 - 22nd Prickly melaleuca (Melaleuca styphelioides), E Australia (note the tiny prickly leaves, white flowers, and spongy park)

34. 3342 - 22nd Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (one of SF’s best specimens)

35. 3368 - 22nd Jewel yucca (Yucca gigantea ‘Jewel’), Central America (in the bright yellow containers; note the striped, or variegated, leaves)

The Lone Palm of the Lone Palm!! Mule palm (*Butia odorata* x *Syagrus romanzoffiana*)

36. 3394 - 22nd Mule palm (Butia odorata x Syagrus romanzoffiana), a hybrid of Brazilian species (very uncommon)

I love the doorway of the Lone Palm bar :)

22nd Street, Guerrero to San Jose, south side

37. 1001 Guerrero Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea, formerly Y. elephantipes), Mexico & Central America (tree is on 22nd Street; all-green leaves)

38. 3365 - 22nd Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), E Australia (intensely fragrant white flowers cycle through the year)

39. 3345 - 22nd Red maple (Acer rubrum), Eastern North America

**Head south on San Jose Avenue, turning right on Alvarado Street

Alvarado Street, east of San Jose, north side

40. 36 Alvarado Natchez crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’), hybrid of E Asian species (developed by the National Arboretum in DC; notable for its beautifully mottled bark, outstanding fall color, and its mildew-resistant foliage, making it a good choice for SF; its flowers are white, in late summer)

*** Cross Alvarado carefully***

Alvarado Street, east of San Jose, south side

41. 37 Alvarado Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), S Brazil

42. 50 San Jose Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), SE USA (2 trees on Alvarado Street)

**Continue south on San Jose to 23rd Street

San Jose Avenue at 23rd, west side

43. 3503 - 23rd Silver Atlas palm (Chamaerops humilis var. argentea), Atlas Mountains of Morocco & Algeria (trees are above the wall on San Jose; low, shrubby palms with silvery cast to the foliage)

44. 3503 - 23rd Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’), cultivar of a Chinese species (taller palms above the wall on San Jose)

Knife-leaf wattle (Acacia cultriformis), E Australia (row of small trees above the wall on San Jose; watch for yellow flowers in winter)

45. 3503 - 23rd Pasopaya palms (Parajubaea torallyi), Bolivian Andes (5 trees in a row along San Jose; very rare)

This tree walk ends here. To return to its beginning, head back to Valencia and turn left; follow Valencia back to 19th and turn left toward the Mission Pool.

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; Richard Turner, retired editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine and Sairus Patel, soon to be author of Trees of Stanford and Environs. 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 four of these books!