The master-planned residential community known today as Ingleside Terraces was originally the site of a racetrack. Built in 1895 for horse racing, the track hosted the first automobile races in San Francisco in 1900. Used for temporary housing following the 1906 earthquake, the neighborhood was soon transformed into a suburban-like community of detached single-family homes by 1912. Today, it is a diverse community of well-tended homes and gardens, with Urbano Drive tracing the original layout of the racetrack.

Today’s walk begins at the Sundial Circle on Entrada Court. It heads northeast from the Circle on Entrada to Borica Street, then north on Borica to Urbano Drive, west on Urbano, and north on Moncada Way to Cerritos Avenue. At Cerritos, it heads west to Mercedes Way, jogs northeast on Mercedes to Cedro Avenue, then returns on Mercedes to Lunado Way, heading south on Lunado all the way to Holloway Avenue. At Holloway, the walk turns east and continues on Holloway to Alviso, north on Alviso to Urbano, west on Urbano for several houses, then crosses Urbano and returns east to Borica, north on Borica to Entrada, and finally northeast on Entrada, back to the start of the walk at the Sundial Circle. This walk is just 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 55. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Our trio of tree geeks responsible for this tour 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.

Entrada Court, Sundial Circle to Borica, south side

1. 45 Entrada Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA (one of the three most commonly planted trees in Golden Gate Park and the Presidio)

**Cross Entrada carefully**

Entrada Court, northeast to Borica, north side

2. 26 Entrada Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Ireland to Portugal and the Mediterranean (2 trees)

3. 16 Entrada Purple Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’), eastern Australia (this is usually among the earliest flowering trees in SF, always beginning in January; these 2 trees may be too young to flower)

4. 2 Entrada New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (a fine specimen)

5. 2 Entrada Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), southern China and Vietnam

Borica Street, Entrada to Urbano, west side

6. 2 Entrada Kapuka (Griselinia littoralis), New Zealand (on Borica; a row of trees shaped into a tall hedge to mark the property line)

Urbano Drive, Borica to Moncada, north side

7. 274 Urbano Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), southeast USA (2 beautiful trees)

8. 298 Urbano Loquat (Rhaphiolepis loquata, syn. Eriobotrya japonica), southeast China, Vietnam, and Taiwan (watch for edible fruits later in the year)

Moncada Way, Urbano to Cerritos, west side

9. 298 Urbano Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to southwest Oregon; CA coastal native (tree is on Moncada; this species is the tallest tree in the world)

Cerritos Avenue, Moncada to Mercedes, north side

10. 100 Cerritos Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’), Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria

11. 100 Cerritos Hybrid pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa x kermadecensis), New Zealand (the rounded leaves, relatively few aerial roots, and winter flowers suggest that this tree may be a hybrid)

12. 125 Cerritos Sweet michelia (Magnolia doltsopa), Himalayas (across the street; note the large and intensely fragrant white flowers on this very young specimen)

13. 142 Cerritos Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lactea), Western China (notable around town for its bright red berries in winter; a potentially invasive weedy shrub if not watched)

**Cross Mercedes carefully and head northeast a yards**

Mercedes Way, Cerritos to Cedro, north side

14. 35 Mercedes Irish yew (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’), a cultivar of species native from Ireland and the Baltics to Morocco and Iran (2 trees with branches to the ground)

15. 25 Mercedes Burgundy peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Burgundy’), southwest Australian cultivar (only the new foliage has the bronzy or purplish color; compare with the cultivar ‘Afterdark’ at #24)

**Cross Mercedes again at Cerritos, and then cross Cerritos to get to Lunado**

Lunado Way, Mercedes to Lunado Court, east side

16. 195 Lunado Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco)

Lunado Court, east of Lunado Way

17. 176 Lunado Ct Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica), Japan and China (national tree of Japan, where it is known as “sugi”)

18. 156 Lunado Ct Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), Ireland to Portugal and the Mediterranean (a beautifully shaped specimen, one of the largest in SF)

Lunado Way, south of Lunado Court, east side

19. 140 Lunado Fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), East and South Africa (a row of 4 trees)

**Cross Lunado Way carefully**

Lunado Way, south to Estero, west side

20. 133 Lunado Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera, golden cultivar), central and southern Japan (the new foliage has a golden tint)

21. 117 Lunado Birch (Betula species), Northern Hemisphere

22. 111 Lunado Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru to Chile

23. 101 Lunado English holly (Ilex aquifolium), Eurasia and North Africa (note the heavy fruiting)

24. 101 Lunado After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), southwest Australian cultivar (often less vigorous than the green-leafed species)

25. 101 Lunado Pasopaya palm (Parajubaea torallyi), Andes of Bolivia (5 specimens of this rare species of palm are along Estero, within the front garden)

26. 101 Lunado Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Mediterranean Basin: Portugal and Morocco to Tunisia and Italy (northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

Lunado Way and Estero, northeast corner

27. 95 Estero New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’), New Zealand (across the intersection; two small trees, near the homes, with tiny dark green leaves and small pink flowers in winter)

Lunado Way, Estero to Holloway, west side

28. 75 Lunado 3 citrus trees (Citrus cultivars), South and East Asian species and hybrids (against the fence)

29. 65 Lunado Paperbark maple (Acer griseum), Central China (2 young trees; note the richly colored peeling bark)

30. 45 Lunado Australian willow or wilga (Geijera parviflora), eastern and southeastern Australia (this tree generally prefers the warmth of the eastern parts of the city; note the seedling of Washingtonia robusta near its base; see #36)

31. 45 Lunado Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’), Eurasia (a selection of purple-leaf plum from a Bakersfield nursery)

32. 30 Lunado Majestic Beauty Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis x ‘Montic’), Southern China and Japan to southeast Asia (across the street)

33. 5 Lunado Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), CA native: Año Nuevo, Monterey, Cambria, plus Cedros and Guadalupe islands, MX (most widely planted coniferous tree in the world, mostly for lumber)

Beverly Street, south of Holloway

34. 901 Junipero Serra Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (tree is at the southwest corner of Beverly and Holloway)

35. 1385 Holloway Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (tree is across the street on the east side of Beverly; the source of pine nuts/pignoli)

Holloway Avenue, Lunado to Monticello, south side

36. 1385 Holloway Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Baja California and Sonora, Mexico (3 trees)

37. 1385 Holloway Pindo palm (Butia odorata), southeastern Brazil and Uruguay

**Continue east on Holloway to Alviso, cross Holloway, and head north on Alviso**

Alviso Street, Holloway to Estero, west side

38. 1250 Holloway Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Himalayas (tree is on Alviso)

39. 10 Alviso Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Norfolk Island, Australia (tree is towering above the rear of the house across the street)

40. 7 Alviso Hawthorn (Crataegus species), Northern Hemisphere (we’ll check back when the tree is in flower to determine which hawthorn it is)

41. 24 Alviso Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), southeastern Australia (across the street; this tree has been beautifully pruned and shaped)

42. 25 Alviso River birch (Betula nigra), eastern USA (row of 6 trees with peeling bark along the property line)

43. 35 Alviso Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), eastern Australia

** Cross Alviso carefully**

Alviso Street, Holloway to Urbano, east side

44. 44 Alviso Silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum), Cape Town, South Africa (2 small trees with distinctive silvery foliage near the house)

45. 44 Alviso Coast banksia (Banksia integrifolia), eastern Australia (an undeservedly rare tree on San Francisco streets)

46. 60 Alviso Red-leaf photinia (Photinia x fraseri), hybrid (more commonly seen as a dense shrub with red new foliage along our freeways)

47. 60 Alviso Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), eastern Australia (feel the spongy bark)

Urbano Drive, west of Alviso, south side

48. 426 Urbano London plane tree (Platanus x hispanica), hybrid of eastern USA species and European species (2 large trees that have been carefully pollarded for many years)

49. 420 Urbano Brush cherry (Syzygium australe, previously knows as S. paniculatum), eastern Australia (row of trees grown as a tall hedge on the property line)

**Cross Urbano carefully**

Urbano Drive, west of Alviso, north side

50. 415 Urbano Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), eastern Australia

51. 421 Urbano Magnolia (Magnolia species), East Asia (spectacular large blossoms on bare stems)

52. 445 Urbano Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (5 trees carefully shaped into a flat-topped form)

53. 445 Urbano Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

**Continue east on Urbano Drive to Borica Street, then north on Borica to Entrada**

Entrada Court, west of Borica, south side

54. 96 Entrada Princess tree (Tibouchina urvilleana), southeastern Brazil (usually a shrub, sometimes becoming a tree; notable for its intense purple flowers; loves San Francisco’s climate)

55. Entrada Circle Hybrid pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa x kermadecensis), New Zealand (the rounded leaves, relatively few aerial roots, and winter flowers suggest that this tree may be a hybrid)

This walk ends at the Sundial Circle on Entrada Court.

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!