Finally, a bright sunny day in San Francisco! And a beautiful hilltop from which to enjoy the weather and the views. We chose the hill that separates Noe Valley from Eureka Valley and the Castro. To put it another way, we are at the divide between Islais Creek and Mission Creek watersheds. This neighborhood of beautiful homes and small but richly planted front gardens also offers an array of interesting trees around which to develop today’s walk. (Don’t miss the views.)

Today’s walk begins at the northwestern corner of Castro and 22nd streets. Head west (uphill) on 22nd to the base of the steps, then cross the street and return to Castro. Head north on Castro to Hill Street, then cross Castro and head east on Hill to Noe Street. At Noe, turn left and continue north to 21st Street. Head east on 21st to Sanchez Street, then south on Sanchez to Hill, west on Hill to Noe, south on Noe to 22nd, and west on 22nd to the start of the tour at Castro. This walk is just over a mile 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 52. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

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 editor of Trees of Stanford and Environs. You can follow Mike and Jason on their tree-themed Instagram pages at @sftreeguy and @loulufan. One other great book on San Francisco trees, while you’re at it: Elizabeth McClintock’s Trees of Golden Gate Park, edited by Richard Turner. If you’re a tree enthusiast, buy all three books!”

A beautiful garden on 22nd Street just uphill from Castro Street

22nd Street, west of Castro, north side

1. 3900 - 22nd Edible fig tree (Ficus carica), Mediterranean Basin & Middle East (note the first crop of fruit already developing on the upper branches)

2. 3900 - 22nd Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA (one of the three most commonly planted trees in SF’s parks)

3. 3900 - 22nd Italian cypress (Cupressus sempervivens ‘Glauca’), E Mediterranean (2 candle-shaped conifers next to the sidewalk)

4. 3900 - 22nd Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), China (one of the weediest trees in the country, often covering vast areas of disturbed land, such as in the gold mining districts of the Sierran foothills). Very rare in San Francisco - this is only the 2nd example of the tree that I know of!

5. 3910 - 22nd Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris), New Caledonia (similar to Norfolk Island pine, but this narrower, denser species always has a curve at the base of the trunk and a pronounced lean toward the equator). In the southern hemisphere, it leans north, but this tree is dutifully leaning in a southward direction.

6. 3932 - 22nd Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (this is the species seen on Market Street and along the Embarcadero)

7. 3938 - 22nd Yew-plum pine, Buddhist pine, or Japanese podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus), Japan & China

**Cross to the south side of 22nd Street, after gazing on the 22nd Street Jungle Steps (planted with mostly California native plants)

22nd Street, west of Castro, south side

8. 3917 - 22nd Fern pine (Afrocarpus gracilior), E & S Africa (one of the tidiest of trees, with seldom any litter from leaves, flowers, or fruits)

9. 3911 - 22nd Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), E Australia (this selection of the water gum has longer, glossier leaves than the species)

Castro Street, 22nd to Hill, west side

10. 3900 - 22nd Coast silk tassel (Garrya elliptica), coastal CA native, from Big Sur to central Oregon (watch for the flowers in winter, long pendant creamy white tassels; normally a large shrub, this one is being shaped into a small tree)

11. 850 Castro Corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’), China and Korea (notable for the irregular curves and twists in the stems; popular with flower arrangers)

**Cross Castro at the crosswalk

Hill Street, Castro to Noe, north side

12. 847 Castro London plane tree (Platanus x hispanica), hybrid of E USA species and European species; it is among the most commonly planted trees in cities around the world)

13. 584 Hill Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (leafless now, but watch for the big show of blue purple flowers soon; these heat loving trees were seldom seen in Noe Valley until about 20 years ago; now there are quite a few, and they seem happy—all thanks to climate change)

14. 576 Hill Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), SW Australia (produces bright red, orange, or pink flowers in summer; among the showiest of trees in SF’s urban forest, we cannot understand why the city is no longer planting this amazing tree)

15. 574 Hill Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), SW Australia (break a leaf to smell the peppermint, and enjoy the small white flowers)

16. 544 Hill Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (last of an ancient lineage of gymnosperms)

17. 534-536 Hill Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), SE USA (2 trees)

18. 512 Hill Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii), S China, Laos, Vietnam

19. 510 Hill Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

Noe Street, Hill to 21st, west side

20. 818 Noe Boxleaf azara (Azara microphylla), Chile (this delicate looking small tree has tiny white fragrant flowers in winter)

21. 818 Noe 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)

22. 3801 - 21st Japanese crabapple (Malus floribunda), Japan (flowers heavily in early April)

21st Street, Noe to Sanchez, south side

23. 3785 - 21st Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

24. 3785 - 21st Waggie palm (Trachycarpus fortunei ‘Wagnerianus’), cultivar of a Chinese species

25. 3781 - 21st Purple Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’), E Australia (this is usually among the earliest flowering trees in SF, always beginning in January with fluffy yellow flowers)

26. 3775 - 21st 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)

27. 3767 - 21st Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea), Mediterranean Basin (the source of pine nuts/pignoli)

28. 3733 - 21st Red-flowering gum hybrid (Corymbia ficifolia x calophylla), SW Australia

29. 3721 - 21st Cork oak (Quercus suber), Spain & Portugal (the bark of this tree provides the cork used in wine bottles)

21st at Sanchez streets

29b. NW corner Monterey cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa), Carmel, CA (across the street; one of the three most commonly planted trees in SF’s parks)

Monterey pines (*Pinus* *radiata*) framing former Mayor Sonny Rolf’s home

30. NE corner Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), CA native: Año Nuevo, Monterey, Cambria, plus Cedros and Guadalupe islands, MX (2 trees to the left of former Mayor Sonny Rolf’s home, diagonally across the intersection; most widely planted coniferous tree in the world, mostly for lumber.

Sanchez Street, 21st to Hill, west side

31. 3701 - 21st Dark Shadows tea tree (Leptospermum ‘Dark Shadows’), SE Australia

32. 824 Sanchez Shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), Australia

**Cross Sanchez to east side

33. 849 Sanchez After Dark peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa ‘Jervis Bay Afterdark’), SW Australian cultivar (2 trees in front of the house; often less vigorous than the green-leafed species; compare with a mature specimen of the species at #15 on this walk)

34. 849 Sanchez Variegated Arabian candelabra tree (Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’), Yemen (2 trees in front of the house; sometimes called ghost cactus; however, this is not a cactus, but definitely a succulent)

35. 849 Sanchez Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis), Mediterranean Basin: Portugal & Morocco to Tunisia & Italy (northernmost natural range of any palm in the world)

36. 849 Sanchez Beaked yucca (Yucca rostrata), Mexico and Texas (3 trees along Hill St; note the asparagus-like flower stalk rising from the center of two trees)

Hill Street, Sanchez to Noe, north side

37. 423 Hill Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (across the street; note the “skirt” of dead leaves that have been left on the tree; the skirt helps protect the trunk of the tree)

38. 426 Hill Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

** Cross Hill Street to south side

39. 435 Hill Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (only in cold winters does this species lose its leaves in San Francisco)

40. 437 Hill Red escallonia (Escallonia rubra), S Chile and Argentina, all the way to Tierra del Fuego (normally grown as a dense large shrub, this one has been pruned into an attractive multi-trunk tree)

41. 467 Hill Silver dollar gum (Eucalyptus polyanthemos), E Australia

Noe Street, Hill to 22nd, west side

[42 not used]

43. 885 Noe 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)

44. 870 Noe American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), E USA to Mexico & Central America (across the street)

45. 893 Noe Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), S Asia to N Australia (formerly one of SF’s most planted trees)

46. 899 Noe Carob (Ceratonia siliqua), E Mediterranean Basin (tree is on 22nd St; seed pods can be used to make a chocolate substitute—though not recommended for true chocolate lovers)

22nd Street, Noe to Castro, north side

47. 3806 - 22nd Blackwood acacia (Acacia melanoxylon), SE Australia

48. 3806 - 22nd Little Gem magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’), SE USA

**Cross 22nd Street to the south side

49. 3817 - 22nd Saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana), hybrid of E Asian species, developed in France (large fragrant white flowers in spring)

50. 3829 - 22nd Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Korea and Japan

51. 3829 - 22nd Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), E Australia (intensely fragrant white flowers cycle through the year)

52. 3847 - 22nd Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), E Australia

This tree walk ends here, a few yards from its beginning at Castro and 22nd streets.