Help identifying trees in San Francisco bay area

hyuan71

HI ,
I am considering the following trees to plant in my backyard but don't know the name of the tree, can someone help identify these? these trees are located in Redwood Shores, CA

tree 1:








tree 2:




tree 3:




Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Henry

Brent Ferris

Tree # 2 might be a Poplar (Populus sp). THe leaves of $ 1 look like cherry (Prunus sp) but the bark doesn't look right.

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Bowani Siam

I agree, the second one looks like a Poplar.

The first one looks like Pyrus (Maybe Pyrus ussuriensis)? ...but probably a cultivar or hybrid.

The third one (going by the peeling bark and red stems) could be an Arbutus species but need a close up of flowers. There are also cultivars and hybrids being propagated willy-nilly!

hyuan71

I took the picture of the fruit of the first tree, it looks like Pyrus ussuriensis pictures I found on internet, but the size is much smaller, about the size of peanut, please refer to pictures attached.


Can you double check the fruit picture to see if it is Pyrus ussuriensis or is it Pyrus calleryana cultivars (http://www.metrotrees.com.au/treehan...ltivars.html)?

also do you know where I can buy this tree, it is one of my favorite so far and I am planing to plant it in the backyard?

I didn't see the flowers for the third one yet.

Bowani Siam

It definitely looks more like Pyrus calleryana going by the fruit. Most nurseries would be able to supply you with the tree. There are a lot of similarities between many cultivars so for all intensive purposes you could settle for a closely-matched variety.

I would imagine that if you want the exact cultivar, you could try getting in touch with the Parks and Gardens department of the relevant council; if it's planted on public land then they would have a record of the tree schedule.

Eden Keeper

I would not plant any cultivar of Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana Decne., such as the poplar 'Bradford' pear and 'Cleveland' pear. The only advantage is that it is cheap in the short term due to the high sales volume because people see it in bloom and think it is pretty because of the early spring flowers. If only they had smelled the flowers first or realized how big the tree gets assuming the top isn't broken out in a windstorm within about 15 years. Despite these reasons a nearby electricity provider offers it as a replacement for any tree they remove, otherwise known as job security. Where I live it is quickly becoming one of if not the worst invasive exotic species where it wins in early succession resulting in impenetrable thickets guarded by thorns that are found on the species but not the cultivars. I suggest substituting serviceberry, Amelanchier Medik., due to these comparisons/advantages: marginally later bloom (that along with bark and leaf color in autumnare more attractive in my opinion), edible fruit (as good as or better than blueberries if the birds ever leave any), and variable size/form (tree to shrub) depending on the species so this can avoid the common mistake of putting one in a place where it grows too big for the space (such as under utility lines).

Brent Ferris

I never knew Callery pear had thorns - they don't seem to in Toronto, and maybe the cold temps keep the smell down - haven't found them offensive at all. In fact, they are often planted near buildings to encourage visitors. What is the offensive smell like? And if your trees are that thorny Eden Keeper, it sounds like it would be a great tree for fences. Can you give some specs on the thorns?

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

Eden Keeper

The planted cultivars don't have the thorns, but the seedlings produced revert to the species and have thorns as do suckers from a grafted root stock, which is likely even on fruiting pears. The thing I hear the odor compared most often to is stale urine (although not in such polite terms) while other pears and some hawthorns have a similar smell, but the planting density is much less thus the smell is virtually unnoticeable on them). The problem with the fence idea is that the entire pasture will become filled with trees thus Osage orange, Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C.K. Schneid., is a better fence since the fruit (of female trees only) is not spread as far. I've seen Callery pears dominate old field succession, including out competing native pine trees while quotes for (rough) mowing such an infested meadow justifiably includes a surcharge of a set of tractor tires (in my area only honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos L., is potentially worse on tires because of larger forked thorns that can become dislodged and scattered, but it is now less frequent due to the pear being so invasive as a result of the widespread planting of mixed varieties). There are probably more thorns per wild type pear tree than the average for honeylocust due to the high density of branches and a thorn at the tip of nearly every twig. If measured from the nearest leaf node the thorns can be a couple inches long although for some reason it feels more like getting impaled by the entire branch when just a scratch is received.

Brent Ferris

Thanks for the info. I have usually found the thorn tip breaks off inside your body, and since the tip has backward facing barbs -- resisting removal -- and is likely a collector of pollution fallout, thus enhancing pus formation - a scratch or jab can be most painful.

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)