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The definitive field guide to the trees that make Silicon Valley one of the world's most biodiverse urban landscapes.
Silicon Valley is known globally for its startups, but its true legacy starts from the roots up. Nestled within California's Floristic Province, the region is an extraordinary ecosystem where biological diversity survives alongside one of the world's most suburbanized environments. The seeds of this natural abundance lie in Silicon Valley's trees.
Trees of Silicon Valley is an indispensable guide to the arboreal richness that stretches from the San Francisco Peninsula down to San Jose and over the Santa Cruz Mountains. An engaging blend of field guide, environmental history, and conservation handbook, this volume profiles more than one hundred native and introduced tree species. Featuring photographs to help you identify key features across the seasons, alongside environmental history and practical cultivation tips, it is the definitive manual for understanding the trees that define the region’s forests, cityscapes, parks, and preserves.
More than a tree identification guide, this book explores how thousands of years of Indigenous land stewardship followed by hundreds of years of agricultural, commercial, and housing development have shaped today's human habitats—and how the region's canopy cover holds the key to the choices that will define its future. As climate change remakes California landscapes, Trees of Silicon Valley demonstrates why filling the green gaps is critical to sustaining the region's intricate web of life, and it offers an inspiring vision for creating resilient urban forests that benefit both people and wildlife.
Holly L. Pearson has loved trees all her life, starting with the bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) of southeastern Minnesota, where she grew up and attended Carleton College. She earned her Ph.D. in biology from Stanford University studying koa (Acacia koa), a native Hawaiian tree. After attending New York University School of Law, she practiced environmental law in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. She is a regular volunteer and former board member of Canopy, a nonprofit that collaborates with communities to grow and sustain equitable urban forests for all.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
- Trees of Silicon Valley: Looking Back
- Homelands of Indigenous People
- Spanish Missions and Mexican Control
- The Gold Rush and Aftermath
- The Valley of Heart’s Delight
- Suburbs and Open Space
Trees of Silicon Valley: Looking Forward
- Benefits of Trees
- Climate Change
- Urban Forests
- Open Space
- Bringing the Benefits of Open Space into Urban Space
Guidelines for Selecting, Planting, and Caring for Trees
- Selecting Trees
- Planting Trees
- Caring for Young Trees
- Caring for Mature Trees
Trees on a First-Name Basis
- Scientific, Common, and Indigenous Names
- Reproductive Structures
- Leaves
- Bark
- Other Tree Parts
- Height and Shape
- Location
The Trees of Silicon Valley
- Firs, Abies
- Acacias, Acacia
- Maples, Acer
- Big-Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum
- Box Elder, Acer negundo
- Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum
- California Buckeye, Aesculus californica
- Red Horse Chestnut, Aesculus × carnea
- Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima
- Silk Tree, Albizia julibrissin
- Alders, Alnus
- Araucarias, Araucaria
- Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii
- Strawberry Tree, Arbutus unedo and Arbutus ‘Marina’
- Manzanitas, Arctostaphylos
- White Birch, Betula pendula
- Bottlebrushes, Callistemon
- Incense Cedar, Calocedrus decurrens
- Catalpas, Catalpa
- California-Lilacs, Ceanothus
- Cedars, Cedrus
- Hackberries, Celtis
- Carob Tree, Ceratonia siliqua
- Redbuds, Cercis
- Mountain-Mahogany, Cercocarpus betuloides var. betuloides
- Camphor Tree, Cinnamomum camphora
- Citrus, Citrus
- Dogwoods, Cornus
- California Hazel, Corylus cornuta subsp. californica
- Red Flowering Gum, Corymbia ficifolia
- Hawthorns, Crataegus
- Italian Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens
- Japanese Persimmon, Diospyros kaki
- Loquats, Eriobotrya
- Eucalypts Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp.
- Blue Gum, Eucalyptus globulus
- Red Iron Bark, Eucalyptus sideroxylon
- Edible Fig, Ficus carica
- Ashes, Fraxinus
- Flannelbush, Fremontodendron californicum
- Silk Tassel, Garrya elliptica
- Australian Willow, Geijera parviflora
- Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba
- Silk Oak, Grevillea robusta
- Monterey Cypress, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa
- Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia
- Jacaranda, Jacaranda mimosifolia
- Walnuts, Juglans
- Junipers, Juniperus
- Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia
- Primrose Tree, Lagunaria patersonia
- Glossy Privet, Ligustrum lucidum
- Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
- Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera
- Brisbane Box, Lophostemon confertus
- Catalina Ironwood, Lyonothamnus floribundus
- Magnolias, Magnolia
- Apples and Crab Apples, Malus
- Mayten Tree, Maytenus boaria
- Paperbark Trees, Melaleuca
- Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides
- New Zealand Christmas Tree, Metrosideros excelsa
- Wax Myrtle, Morella californica
- Tanoak, Notholithocarpus densiflorus var. densiflorus
- Olive, Olea europaea
- Avocado, Persea americana
- Spruces, Picea
- Pines, Pinus
- Knobcone Pine, Pinus attenuata
- Canary Island Pine, Pinus canariensis
- Coulter Pine, Pinus coulteri
- Italian Stone Pine, Pinus pinea
- Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa var. benthamiana
- Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata
- Gray Pine, Pinus sabiniana
- Chinese Pistache, Pistacia chinensis
- Pittosporums, Pittosporum
- London Plane Tree, Platanus × hispanica
- Western Sycamore or California Plane Tree, Platanus racemosa
- Yew Pine and Fern Pine, Podocarpus macrophyllus and Afrocarpus falcatus
- Cottonwoods, Populus
- Lombardy Poplar, Populus nigra ‘Italica’
- Stone Fruits and Ornamental Prunus Species, Prunus
- Holly-Leafed Cherry, Prunus ilicifolia subsp. ilicifolia
- Douglas-Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
- Pomegranate, Punica granatum
- Pears, Pyrus
- Oaks, Quercus
- Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
- Canyon Live Oak, Quercus chrysolepis
- Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii
- Holly Oak, Quercus ilex
- California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii
- Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
- Cork Oak, Quercus suber
- Black Locust and Locust Hybrids, Robinia spp.
- Willows, Salix spp. 274
- Blue Elderberry, Sambucus mexicana
- Pepper Tree, Schinus molle
- Coast Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens
- Giant Sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum
- Lindens, Tilia
- California-Nutmeg, Torreya californica
- Elms, Ulmus
- California Bay, Umbellularia californica
- Palms, Family Arecaceae
- Canary Island Date Palm, Phoenix canariensis
- Windmill Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei
- California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera
- Mexican Fan Palm, Washingtonia robusta Identification
Flowchart for Trees Included in Trees of Silicon Valley
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author