Between showers on a mostly windless day, we chose a relatively quiet neighborhood wedged between the northeastern extent of Glen Park and the southern extent of Noe Valley. It covers the lower slopes of a hill known as Fairmount, one of the many hills that make up the San Miguel Hills in this part of the city. We were pleased with the diversity of trees in this small neighborhood. But, the real draw is the variety of residential architecture, from stunning and beautifully restored Victorians to modest cottages, along with some ‘50s-‘60s apartment buildings. Laidley Street is known for its collection of radical contemporary architecture from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Take time to appreciate this diversity in residential design.

Today’s walk is a simple one. It begins on Whitney Street, at its terminus at Chenery Street. It heads north on Whitney for two blocks to Randall Street, then continues on Randall for two more blocks to Harper Street, and heads uphill on Harper to Laidley Street. From there it heads southeast-ish on Laidley to Miguel Street, downhill on Miguel to Whitney, and then north again on Whitney for a few yards. This walk is almost a mile and a half 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 34. White arrows on the pavement provide directions whenever a turn is needed.

Whitney Street, Chenery to Fairmount, east side

1. 298 Chenery Brisbane box (Lophostemon confertus), E Australia (tree is on Whitney)

2. 263 Whitney Cajeput tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia), New Caledonia, New Guinea, E Australia (3 trees, including 1 across the street; feel the distinctive spongy bark)

3. 249 Whitney Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), China (last of an ancient lineage; there are many ginkgos in the neighborhood, including some very young ones on Miguel)

4. 249 Whitney Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

5. 229 Whitney African fern pine (Afrocarpus falcatus, formerly A. gracilior), E & S Africa (peeking around the construction fence)

6. 219 Whitney Victorian box (Pittosporum undulatum), E Australia (common in the neighborhood; intensely fragrant white flowers cycle through the year)

7. 191 Fairmount Tree fuchsia (Fuchsia arborescens), C America (peeking over the fence on Whitney; this large shrubby fuchsia flowers all year in SF)

8. 191 Fairmount Peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa), SW Australia (2 trees is on Whitney)

Whitney Street, Fairmount to Randall, east side

9. 159 Whitney Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina), E Australia (this tree grows in stream-side locations in the wild, hence the common name; SF’s most commonly planted street tree)

10. 155 Whitney Mayten (Maytenus boaria), Chile

11. 119 Whitney Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Big Sur to SW Oregon; CA coastal native (this species is the tallest tree in the world)

12. 197 Randall Plume albizia (Paraserianthes lophantha, formerly Albizia lophantha), SW Australia (within the fenced garden of the property on Randall; a feathery-leafed small tree with pale yellow flowers in clusters; this species has become a weed in the western portions of Golden Gate Park and above Sutro Baths)

**Cross Whitney and continue a short distance on Randall**

Randall Street, Whitney to Sanchez, south side, then north side

13. 201 Randall Ray Hartman ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’), hybrid of CA native species (just beginning to open its blue flowers)

14. 207 Randall Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’), S Asia to N Australia (formerly one of SF’s most planted trees)

**Cross Randall**

15. 200 Randall Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia), Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay

16. 228 Randall Lemon bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), E Australia

17. 228 Randall Giant yucca (Yucca gigantea, formerly Y. elephantipes), Mexico & Central America

18. 240 Randall 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)

Randall Street, Sanchez to Harper, north side

19. 250 Randall Olive (Olea europaea), Mediterranean Basin

20. 250 Randall Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri), hybrid of mandarin and pomelo, both SE Asian species (in the rear yard, heavily laden with fruit)

21. 270 Randall Sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum), S, SE, and E. Asia (very uncommon in SF; usually a shrub)

** Cross Harper**

Harper Street, Randall to Laidley, west side

22. 76 Harper Bailey’s acacia (Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’), E Australia (this is usually among the earliest flowering trees in SF, always beginning in January with fluffy bright yellow flowers)

** Cross Laidley**

Laidley Street, Harper to Fairmount, south side

23. 128 Laidley Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei), China (a fine specimen)

24. 117 Laidley Texas privet (Ligustrum japonicum ‘Texanum’), E. Asia (2 trees across the street; city champions; these are usually seen as large sheared hedges)

25. 138 Laidley Cork oak (Quercus suber), Spain & Portugal (3 trees; the bark of this tree provides the cork used in wine bottles)

Cork oak (*Quercus suber*) - closeup of bark

26. 140 Laidley Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), E USA (this deciduous tree will have fragrant white flowers in spring)

** continue on the lower side of Laidley**

Laidley Street, Fairmount to Miguel, east side (lower side)

a beautiful Victorian home on Laidley Street

27. 237 Fairmount Willow-leaf peppermint (Eucalyptus nicholii), SE Australia (2 trees, one on each side of Laidley)

28. 233 Laidley Primrose tree (Lagunaria patersonii), Norfolk and Lord Howe islands (soft pink flowers will appear later in the year)

29. 224 Laidley Rusty-leaf fig (Ficus rubiginosa), E Australia (across the street)

30. 279 Laidley Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), S China (2 trees)

Miguel Street, Laidley to Whitney, northeast side

31. 201 Miguel Tree aloe (Aloidendron barberae, formerly Aloe bainesii), S Africa to Mozambique (this specimen appears to be variegated, but the effect is due to sunscald)

32. 219 Miguel Bronze loquat (Rhaphiolepis deflexa, syn. Eriobotrya deflexa), S China and Vietnam

Whitney Street, north from Miguel, west side

33. 268 Whitney Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Argentina and Bolivia (watch for the big show of blue purple flowers in summer; these heat loving trees are becoming more common in SF, especially in warmer areas like the Mission District—thanks in partto climate change)

34. 260 Whitney Marina strawberry tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’), hybrid of Mediterranean species (many fine specimens of this tree can be seen throughout the neighborhood; first introduced in San Francisco)

Today’s tree walk ends here, just a few yards north of its beginning at Whitney and Chenery.

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 and Environs. 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!