The California Trees among us

[swamptreenelly]

http://www.heydaybooks.com/upcoming/a-californians-guide-to-the-tr.html

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I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN drawn to trees and believe that I am not

alone in this sentiment. Growing up among the remnant stands

of large valley oaks (Quercus lobata) in a small interior valley of

California’s North Coast Range, before I ever considered myself

a botanist, I knew there was something inspiring about trees. A

magical quality surrounds a large or exotic tree. As I grew older

and my interest in plants became more refined, I never escaped

the spell cast on me by trees.

Those who live in California need not travel to exotic places to

see an eclectic mix of trees from all corners of the earth; one only

need stroll down a local street and look up. California’s agreeable

climate and rich horticultural history have converged to populate

our towns and cities with trees that reward those who notice them

with vibrant color, bizarre shapes, unusual textures, and unexpected

smells. During my early adulthood, I dedicated many trips

in California and beyond to finding impressive or strange trees—

often to the dismay of less interested travel companions. It was

on these trips that I came to appreciate the astounding diversity

of trees in our state. Besides an abundant array of native trees,

California has park, garden, and street trees—our so-called urban

forest—that are among the most splendid and varied in the world.

These beautiful organisms, the subject of this book, are all around

us, vital to our well-being and completely worthy of our praise and

fascination.

Metropolitan landscapes are not easy places for trees, yet

trees are extremely important to the quality of life of the humans

around them. Trees are giving and forgiving. As they persevere,

sometimes in the most adverse of conditions, they beautify our

world. They muffle noise, create wildlife habitat, mitigate pollution,

allow us to conserve energy, and make urban living healthier

A Californian’s Guide

to the Trees among Us

Matt Ritter

INTRODUCTION

and more peaceful. It is no wonder that city dwellers place such

great value on their trees, which must endure in the face of root

constriction and compaction, air pollution, interference from

overhead wires, neglect, random acts of arboreal violence, and in

most of California, six months without rain. The physical beauty

of many of California’s most charming cities (Claremont, Chico,

Davis, Petaluma, Palo Alto, Santa Monica, Visalia, etc.) is due, in

no small part, to the well-tended trees lining their streets.

We are blessed in most of California with a diverse and agreeable

Mediterranean climate that creates a wide range of growing

conditions for trees. The dry, practically frost-free areas of coastal

San Diego, the warm and sunny Los Angeles Basin, the opulent

and balmy gardens of Santa Barbara, the seasonally distinct, rich,

alluvial plains of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, and the

foggy, windswept, sandy hills of San Francisco all favor certain tree

species. California’s populace, with its reverence for the outdoors

and desire for greener cities, has taken advantage of these diverse

growing conditions for over one hundred and fifty years.

Since the time when California’s first nurseries were founded,

in the Bay Area during the 1850s, the state’s residents have sought

out novel and unknown trees from foreign lands. Many were tried,

many failed, but a great number succeeded and now lavishly

inhabit our streets, parks, and gardens. There are risks associated

with the sustained introduction of exotic trees; unfortunately,

some have succeeded all too well, invading California’s wildlands,

often to the detriment of our native flora. Be that as it may, the

authors of Trees of Santa Barbara describe their city as an “outdoor

conservatory for the display and conservation of an important element

of the biotic wonder of our world.” This same concept holds

true for many of our cities.

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There are approximately 350,000 species of plants in the

world, and about 60,000 of these grow as trees. California is

home to thousands of different species of ornamentally grown

trees, most of these as isolated specimens in our many arboreta

and botanical gardens. However, in many of California’s municipalities,

the same group of 150 or so species are widely planted,

with exceptions primarily due to the frost tenderness of species

only successfully grown in southern or coastal California.

This book is a natural history and identification guide to these

species: the ones most commonly grown in urban and suburban

landscapes in California, particularly those areas to the west of

the Sierra Nevada and outside the southeastern deserts. It is no

accident that these trees are the most commonly encountered

in California; they are here because they have earned the favor

of nurserymen, city planners, or the general public. They may be

beautiful, but they are also resilient and easy to grow.

It is not always because of their desirable traits that these species

of trees are among the commonly cultivated. There are other

reasons, often complicated, involving tradition, nostalgia for

places from which many Californians have emigrated, historically

common trade routes, similar climates, and, occasionally, the random

and idiosyncratic interests of tree connoisseurs.

Trees embody the strength and beauty of the natural world.

The rich and subtle connections that link humans and trees have

undoubtedly existed since our primitive beginnings in arboreal

habitats and the origin of human consciousness. Countless writers

and thinkers have tried to interpret the obscure wisdom and

ancestral nostalgia that trees seem to offer us. Trees provide a

central theme in literature, art, pop culture, mythology, and religion.

In many cultures, trees have come to symbolize community,

fertility, life, and the interdependence of the natural world. In

cities, trees are often poignantly contrasted with stark buildings,

sidewalks, streets, and gutters, silently reminding us of lost connections

with nature and our longing for a time prior to our taming

and civilization. Most pages within this book include a quote, an

idea, or a famous piece of writing about trees. Some of these are

meditations on the meaning of life that trees seem to hold; some

recount the story of the deep connection between humans and

the trees around us; others are just funny or thought-provoking.

I have attempted to combine science, natural history, drawing,

photography, and prose in this book with the hope that readers

will gain greater appreciation and reverence for the trees around

us. They are a gift, many planted by predecessors long past; as we

begin to value them more, we will protect and care for them and

continue to plant new ones for future generations.

This is a book about trees, made from the bodies of dead trees,

and reading it is a poor substitute at best for experiencing these

wonderful organisms directly and personally. Take it with you and

walk out among the trees in your neighborhood. Use it to identify

unknown trees, watch them change throughout the year, place a

hand on the bark, feel the leaves, and smell the flowers. Pay close

attention to them, fraternize with them, commune with them,

and most importantly, appreciate them. The time spent learning,

watching, and experiencing these wondrous organisms will be

well worth the effort.

Read more at www.heydaybooks.com/digitalcatalog.html.

[Just1MorePalm]

WTF?

[fastfeat]

I just met Dr Ritter on Friday at Chavez Ravine Arboretum (next to Dodger Stadium) and spent a few hours there viewing their collection of rare species. He's a very knowledgeable, down-to-Earth guy who really knows his stuff, especially Eucalyptus. Though I have yet to get his book (he'd sold all the copies he brought to Southern California Horticultural Society talk he gave the day before), I'd recommend it to anyone who's got an interest in SoCal trees.

[daxin]

This looks like a good concise reference book. One of the sample pages listed the showest trees for California:

Bauhinia spp.

Ceiba speciosa (Chorisia speciosa)

Corymbia ficifolia (Eucalyptus ficifolia)

Erythrina spp.

Handroanthus spp. (Tabebuia)

Hymenosporum flavum

Jacaranda mimosifolia

Lagerstroemia spp.

Magnolia x soulangeana

Prunus spp. (Flowering Cherries)

I guess we could add Acacia baileyana, Azara dentata, Brachychiton acerifolius, Cassia leptophylla, Fremontodendron, Laburnum, Metrosideros excelsa, and Paulownia tomentosa based on their showy flowers. What other trees can we add? Maybe we could include those with ornamental leaf, fruit, and bark as well. Personally I think palms such as Ceroxylon and Chambeyronia should be included as well.