We return for a fourth walk on the slopes of Bernal Heights, this time to the southeastern corner of the neighborhood. Known for its mix of 19th, 20th, and 21st century residences, the neighborhood also offers dramatic views to the south and east, and a lively shopping district along Cortland Avenue. Despite the notoriously narrow streets, trees are common and diverse, including two that are “city champions” - the largest of their kind in the City.

Today’s walk begins at the northwest corner of Nevada Street and Cortland Avenue, and heads north (uphill) on Nevada to Powhattan Avenue, then east on Powhattan one block to Nebraska Street. Head south (downhill) on Nebraska to Cortland, and then east on Cortland for about half a block. The walk continues on the south side of Cortland on Bronte Street. (Be careful crossing Cortland as there is no crosswalk at this point; it may be safer to go further east and use the crosswalk at Bradford Street.) Head south (now, uphill) on Bronte to Jarboe Avenue, then west on Jarboe to Putnam Street, and north (downhill) on Putnam to Cortland. The walk ends one block west at Cortland and Nevada. This walk is about 1 ½ miles in length, with some moderately steep slopes.

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

Nevada Street, Cortland to Powhattan, west side

1. 170 Nevada Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), E USA to Mexico & Central America

2. 147 Nevada Mock-orange or tobira (Pittosporum tobira), Japan & Korea (tree is across the street; clusters of intensely fragrant, white flowers; typically grown as a large shrub, this one is a city champion, largest in SF)

3. 134 Nevada Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), S China and Vietnam

4. 114 Nevada Santa Cruz Island ironwood (Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius), CA’s Channel Islands, except Catalina Island (this one is flowering heavily; others can be seen along Cesar Chavez Street, just north of Bernal Heights)

5. 104 Nevada Purple (or blue) potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii), Paraguay (typically a large shrub, this one has been trained into a multi-trunked, tree-like form; flowers are produced all year)

Powhattan Avenue, Nevada to Nebraska, south side

6. 900 Powhattan Champak (Magnolia champaca) S & SE Asia (small, magnolia-like flowers, appearing in summer, are intensely fragrant; these three trees have been pruned in an unfortunate manner)

7. 2 Nebraska Cabbage tree (Cussonia spicata), S Africa (tree is on Powhattan; a curious, uncommonly grown tree in SF; the palmately lobed leaves are distinctive; note the thick stems developing flower buds on the right-most trunk)

**Note this richly planted corner garden at Powhattan and Nebraska, created and maintained by the talented Elliot Goliger of Artisans Designs.

Nebraska Street, Powhattan to Cortland, west side

8. 2 Nebraska Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia (the big show of blue purple flowers is just beginning, now that the leaves have fallen; these heat loving trees are becoming more common in SF, especially in warmer areas of the city—all thanks to climate change)

9. 2 Nebraska Hercules tree aloe (Aloidendron ‘Hercules’), hybrid of two S African species

10. 38 Nebraska Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Mediterranean Basin: Portugal & Morocco to Tunisia & Italy (this is a young specimen that will grow into a low multi-trunked tree; northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

11. 48 Nebraska Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco; these two specimens are among the largest in the city)

12. 26 Nebraska Hybrid crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia hybrid.), Asia (watch for the flowers that will be opening soon, and for the glorious fall foliage color)

Cortland Avenue, Nebraska to Bradford, north side

13. 1410 Cortland Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (a “grove” of three trees in this large yard; this is the species seen in the median of Upper Market Street and along the Embarcadero)

***Please cross Cortland carefully, perhaps using the crosswalk at Bradford Street, half a block to the east. Bronte Street is midway between Nebraska and Bradford, on the south side of Cortland.***

Bronte Street, Cortland to Jarboe, west side

14. 16 Bronte African fern pine (Afrocarpus falcatus, formerly A. gracilior), E & S Africa (this is the largest specimen in the city: a city champion)

15. 20 Bronte Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), S Brazil (one tall mature specimen and one much younger specimen)

16. 36 Bronte Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), E Australia (this selection of the water gum has longer, glossier leaves than the species)

17. 62 Bronte Sweetshade tree (Hymenosporum flavum), E Australia (the fragrant yellow flowers appear in late spring through much of the summer; this tree often grows tall and narrow at first, eventually broadening its canopy)

Putnam Street, Jarboe to Cortland, east side

Giant bird-of-paradise (*Strelitzia nicolai*)

18. 77 Putnam Giant bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae), E South Africa (note the huge, blue and white flowers on this young tree, compared to the much smaller, bright orange and blue flowers on the nearby common bird-of-paradise, which grows as a shrub)

19. 75 Putnam Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) E USA (note the white flowers that will become colorful fruits in late fall, but beware of the long thorns on the branches)

20. 59 Putnam Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile (five trees with gracefully pendant branches, resembling those of weeping willows)

21. 42 Putnam Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (two trees across the street) pink flowers usually appear by February; formerly SF’s most planted street tree; often seen without leaves through fall and winter)

22. 14 Putnam Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), S China

Cortland Avenue, Putnam to Nevada, south side

23. 1302 Cortland Purple hopseed tree (Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’), native throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world

Today’s walk ends here, kitty-corner from its beginning.

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. 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!