Noe Valley Uber North Tree Tour

On a bright and cheerful morning of Pride weekend, we returned to tree-rich Noe Valley, specifically to the northern reaches just before the crest of a hill that separates Noe and Eureka valleys. The south and west facing slopes of this neighborhood offer opportunities for the diversity of trees for which Noe Valley is known. Along the way, we saw delightful, environmentally practical front gardens, views across the valley to the Pink Diamond on Twin Peaks, and an array of architectural styles, including several homes by the late, talented architect, Philip Mathews. We begin at Alvarado Elementary School, one of San Francisco’s most highly regarded.

Today’s walk begins at the main entrance to Alvarado Elementary School, 625 Douglass Street. It heads north on Douglass to 22nd Street, then east along 22nd to Diamond Street. It continues north on Diamond to 21st Street, where it turns east for a short climb up and down to Collingwood Street. There, it crosses 21st and returns west on the north side of 21st to Eureka Street. From there, it heads south on Eureka to 22nd, and west on 22nd to its end at Douglass, a few steps north of its beginning. The walk is under 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 30. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Douglass Street, 23rd to 22nd streets, east side

1. 625 Douglass New Zealand Christmas tree, pōhutukawa in Māori (Metrosideros excelsa), New Zealand (many trees on throughout the neighborhood; this tree flowers most reliably in the summer months, which would be Christmas time in NZ, south of the equator)

2. 618 Douglass European weeping birch (Betula pendula), Eurasia & N Africa (not usually well-adapted to SF, but this specimen is doing well behind the white picket fence across the street)

22nd Street, Douglass to Eureka streets, south side

3. N side of school Evergreen pear (Pyrus kawakamii), Taiwan (row of 4 trees; only in particularly cold winters does this species lose its leaves in San Francisco)

4. 4112 - 22nd Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), S China and Vietnam (across the street; distinctive for its bronzy new foliage; fruits are inedible)

22nd Street at Eureka Street, south side

5. 4055 - 22nd Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), E Australia (2 trees here, but common in the neighborhood; intensely fragrant white flowers cycle through the year, followed by sticky fruits, seen here on the sidewalk)

22nd Street, Eureka to Diamond streets, north side

6. 499 Eureka Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), E North America (tree is on 22nd Street; uncommon in San Francisco)

7. 4018 - 22nd Red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia), SW Australia (produces bright red, orange, or pink flowers in summer; among the best and showiest of trees in SF’s urban forest; we cannot understand why the city is no longer planting this amazing tree)

8. 4000 - 22nd Red maple (Acer rubrum), Eastern North America

Diamond Street, 22nd to 21st streets, east side

9. 493 Diamond Purple-leaf plum (Prunus cerasifera), Eurasia (pink flowers usually appear by February; formerly SF’s most planted street tree; usually without leaves through fall and winter)

10. 493 Diamond Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis), Canary Islands, Spain (a single large tree partway up the hill alongside this address; this is the species seen in the median of Upper Market Street and along the Embarcadero)

**Note the fine specimen of New Zealand Christmas tree at 481 Diamond, with the distinctive aerial roots dropping down from upper branches; in the wild, these roots would reach the soil and develop as secondary trunks to support the heavy branches on old trees)

11. 455 Diamond California buckeye (Aesculus californica ), California & Oregon; a San Francisco native tree! (it’s just finished flowering, with fruits developing on some of the inflorescences)

12. 433 Diamond Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), New Caledonia, New Guinea, NE Australia (3 trees; feel the spongy bark)

13. Diamond Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), SF and CA native; Baja to Mendocino, always within 50 miles of the coast

21st Street, Diamond to Collingwood streets, south side

14. 401 Diamond Hopseed tree (Dodonaea viscosa), native throughout tropical and subtropical parts of the world (two trees are on 21st Street; most commonly seen in its purple-leafed form)

**As you approach Collingwood Street, note the fantastic view of the city skyline and the Bay.

21st Street, Collingwood to Diamond streets, north side

15. 4014 - 21st New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium), New Zealand

**Note the beautifully executed water-conserving garden in front of these residences

16. 4042 - 21st Elegant water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina ‘Elegant’), E Australia (3 trees; this selection of the water gum has longer, glossier leaves than the species)

Diamond Street at 21st Street, west side

17. 396 Diamond Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana, also know as Acca sellowiana), Brazil (though this does not reliably set fruit in cool San Francisco, the white and pink flowers are attractive, and the white petals are edible)

18. 404 Diamond African fern pine (Afrocarpus falcatus, formerly A. gracilior), E & S Africa (3 young trees)

21st Street, Diamond to Eureka streets, south side

19. 4103 - 21st 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)

20. 4107 - 21st Champak (Magnolia champaca) S & SE Asia (small, magnolia-like flowers, appearing in summer, are intensely fragrant; this species has been showing quite yellow green leaves in the city this year)

21. 4145 - 21st Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (first introduced in San Francisco)

22. 4145 - 21st Peruvian pepper tree (Schinus molle), Peru, Brazil, & Chile

Eureka Street, north of 21st Street, west side

23. 388 Eureka Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (across the street; these distinctive deciduous trees are the last of an ancient lineage of Gymnosperms)

24. 398 Eureka Queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana), S Brazil (5 trees on 21st Street); note the Pride pink triangle in the background

Eureka Street, 21st to 22nd streets, east side

25. 449 Eureka Snow-in-summer tree or flax-leaf paperbark (Melaleuca linariifolia), E Australia (feel the spongy bark; white flowers cover the tree in summer)

26. 432 Eureka Washington thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) E USA (across the street; note the white flowers that will become colorful fruits in late fall; this specimen lacks the characteristic long thorns along its branches)

27. 444 Eureka Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata), China, Korea, and Japan (across the street)

28. 471 Eureka Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis ‘Torulosa’ or ‘Kaizuka’), E Asia (not a tree usually recommended for use as a street tree due to its dense low-branching habit)

21st Street, Eureka to Douglass streets, north side

29. 490 Eureka Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), S Asia to N Australia (tree is on 22nd Street; formerly one of SF’s most planted trees)

30. 4120 - 22nd Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina, Bolivia (now deciduous, this tree will burst into bloom in early July; these heat loving trees are becoming more common in SF, especially in warmer areas of the city—all thanks to climate change)

Today’s walk ends at the corner of 22nd and Douglass streets, a few steps from its beginning in front of the school.

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!