Prunus serrulata - Flowering Cherry

Prunus serrulata: Prunus, Latin for 'plum'; serrulata, meaning 'with small saw-like teeth,' referring to the serrulate leaf margins.

Trees bloom in early spring (late March in the SF Bay Area), later than P. cerasifera.
Showy flowers in deep pink to white can have a single whorl of petals...
...or multiple whorls of petals.
Fine hairs along serrulate leaf margins.
Leafed out.
Shiny, smooth grey bark with distinctive horizontal lenticels becomes rough with age.

Acer buergerianum - Trident Maple

Acer buergerianum: Acer, Latin for maple; buergerianum, named for Heinrich Burger, a German Jewish pharmacist and naturalist who collected plants in Japan.


Leaves opposite, with 3 triangular lobes.
Yellowish flowers in early spring.
Seeds paired in winged samaras. Wings dropping to almost parallel.

Smooth grey bark becomes fissured with age.

Acer palmatum - Japanese Maple (and cvs.)

Acer palmatum: Acer refers to the maple family, palmatum for palmate (hand-shaped) leaf divisions.

Palmately divided leaves in green and red.
Serrate margins.
Also with excellent fall color.

Samaras at 80-90º angle.
Sangokaku cultivar with red stems.

Koelreuteria paniculata - Golden Rain Tree