Our locally native trees are beautiful and easy to grow--they are well adapted to our climate and soils. Native trees offer special values for wildlife as well.
The valley oak and coast live oak, two beautiful species, grow fairly quickly and are easy to cultivate. While ancient trees which grew to maturity under summer dry conditions may resent irrigation, young oaks adapt to garden watering. Indeed, under garden conditions oaks may reach 25 feet in ten years--they actually grow faster than many commonly planted trees! Our native oaks deserve to be planted far more often than they are. There are smaller oaks if you do not have space for a large tree -- the scrub oak is a beautiful little tree that stays under 20' while providing the same habitat benefits as its larger relatives.
Our California laurel becomes a stately tree. It is slow growing, but well-situated specimens are a fine gift to future generations.
The madrone is one of the world's most beautiful broadleaf evergreen trees. It can be challenging to establish, but if you like a gardening challenge, try this treasure!
The California buckeye has interesting fruits, spectacular flowers and exquisite spring foliage. It is the first to drop its leaves after the end of the rainy season, revealing its lovely structure as the deciduous leaves turn brown. Its flowers have pollen that is somewhat toxic to the non-native honeybee, but no flowers have more value to butterflies and native bees. In bloom this tree is often festooned with butterflies.! The tiger swallowtail, mourning cloak, California sister, California tortoiseshell, spring azure and many others visit this tree. It is easy to grow.
Blue elderberry has summer fruit that attract a wider range of birds than any other tree. Songbirds favor it highly for food and nesting. It is easy to grow and very fast. A stump-sprouter, it is amenable to pruning.
If you have space, big-leaf maple is a very attractive species, and also fast growing--it deserves a place in more landscapes.
Native Trees of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties
Aceraceae (Maple Family) | |
---|---|
Acer macrophyllum | big-leaf maple |
Acer negundo var. californicum | box elder |
Betulaceae (Birch Family) | |
Alnus rhombifolia | white alder |
Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family) | |
Sambucus mexicana | blue elderberry |
Ericaceae (Heath Family) | |
Arbutus menziesii | Pacific madrone |
Fagaceae (Oak Family) | |
Lithocarpus densiflorus | tanbark oak |
Quercus agrifolia | coast live oak |
Quercus chrysolepis | canyon live oak |
Quercus douglasii | blue oak |
Quercus garryana | Oregon white oak |
Quercus kelloggii | California black oak |
Quercus lobata | valley oak |
Quercus wislizeni | interior live oak |
Hippocastanaceae (Buckeye Family) | |
Aesculus californica | California buckeye |
Lauraceae (Laurel Family) | |
Umbellularia californica | California laurel |
Oleaceae (Olive Family) | |
Fraxinus dipetala | flowering ash |
Fraxinus latifolia | Oregon ash |
Pinaceae (Pine Family) | |
Pinus attenuata | knobcone pine |
Pinus ponderosa | Pacific ponderosa pine |
Pinus sabiniana | gray pine |
Pseudotsuga menziesii | Douglas fir |
Platanaceae (Sycamore Family) | |
Platanus racemosa | Western sycamore |
Salicaceae (Willow Family) | |
Populus fremontii ssp. fremontii | Fremont cottonwood |
Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa | black cottonwood |
Salix laevigata | red willow |
Salix lasiolepis | arroyo willow |
Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra | shining willow |
Taxaceae (Yew Family) | |
Torreya californica | California nutmeg |
Taxodiaceae (Bald Cypress Family) | |
Sequoia sempervirens | redwood |