Re: Trees for Medit. area

For me, I would also want the tree to be flowering,
and be less commonly planted.  Some that can be seen
to perfection in Los Angeles are all southern
hemisphere; the South African  Calodendrum capense, or
Cape Chestnut, but I have never seen one bloom here in
the SF Bay Area, although there is a good sized one at
Strybing Arboretum.  The South African Cunonia
capensis, African Red Alder is also quite interesting,
and said to also have showy, bottle brush-like
fragrant flowers, but the new reddish bronze tinted
foliage and distinctive paddle shaped buds are a year
round show.  

Some from central America down into Brazil, are the
hardier Tabebuias, such as Golden Trumpet Tree, T.
chrysotricha,(which does very well here in the SF Bay
Area), and T. impetiginosa. These are starting to be
used as street trees in places like Pasadena, and are
gorgeous in bloom in March/April, with no foliage and
covered in bloom.  A California native to our offshore
coastal islands is the stately Lyonothamnus
floribundus asplenifolius.  Interesting shedding red
stringy bark, deep green glossy dissected foliage, and
very large heads of white flowers in summer the size
of a sunflower.  

Not as drought tolerant, as it comes from the
rainforests of Queensland, Australia, is the Native
Frangipani, or Sweetshade Tree here in the USA,
Hymenosporum flavum. Richly fragrant in summer bloom,
narrow in habit, and with understated good looks year
round, and surprisingly drought tolerant given its
provenance.  

Two more South Africans that are seldom seen as real
trees here in California, where they are yet mostly
too young to have developed tree-like character are
the South African Cabbage Trees; Cussonia paniculata
with intensely blue gray foliage and corky grey bark
on a plam like trunk until it starts branching with
age, and the equally beautiful Low Veld Cabbage Tree,
C. spicata, which is much faster to gain height, has
more of an olive green foliage but with deep burgundy
flushes of new foliage through out the year.  The
foliage of both these trees are almost tropical in
appearance, and give much the same character that the
Snowflake Tree, Trevesia palmata does. C. spicata and
Trevesia are probably best in safely zone 10
conditions, as they both froze back to the roots in
Berkeley in the December, 1990 freeze, whereas all the
other trees listed above survived with just minor
freeze damage or none at all besides losing leaves. 

I would also put in a plug for the towering  Lemon
Gum, Eucalyptus citriodora, which makes an elegant
skyline tree and also works well in close proximity to
buildings.  The fragrant foliage and smooth white bark
and weeping form are all spectacular where one has the
room to grow them.  Again, this is only a good choice
within view of salt water, or warmest parts of USDA
zone 9 locations, as it is tender to severe frost.  I
have also come to enjoy a relatively new to me species
of Pittosporum, P. brevicalyx 'Golden Temples', with
fragrant golden flowers  in spring,  foliage similar
to a Camphor Tree, no messy seeds/fruit, and hardier
to cold than the similar P. undulatum. This one is
also unusual in that it comes from China, and I think
it was an introduction by Saratoga Horticultural
Foundation when it was still functioning.  Not much
seen in the landscape, but worth seeking out.

--- Gayle & Tim Kalman <leahdragonfly@earthlink.net>
wrote:

> Dear All,

> 
>      In a Mediterranean climate zone with costal
> influence, what tree would you choose to plant?



		
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