Articles and Records

Contents:
Stanford Botany & Landscape History
In the Media
Horticultural Information
Main References for Tree Entries
Archives
Bibliography
Taxonomy

Stanford Botany & Landscape History

In the Media

1 Apr 2024. Do Stanford’s palm trees really cost $70,000? Sarayu Pai, The Stanford Daily. “Stanford is also home to several rare species of trees, according to Gladden, including the rainbow eucalyptus, whose bark peels to reveal various pastel and sometimes almost fluorescent colors. The campus also boasts the Torrey Pine, which James Biddle, Tree Program Supervisor at Stanford, wrote is ‘the rarest pine in the world.’”
8 Jun 2023. Tree at Stanford grows 40 different fruits. Sarayu Pai, The Stanford Daily. “A living art installation has planted its roots near the Rodin Sculpture Garden. The art is a tree capable of growing 40 varieties of stone fruits...”
27 Sep 2022. Stanford Partner with Trees course allowed curiosity to go out on a limb. Taylor Kubota, Stanford News. “Combining field trips, guest lectures, and an open-ended final project, the course was designed as an intentional contrast to how many students spent their time during the pandemic, off-campus and on Zoom.”
July 2022. Point of Pride. Sam Scott, Stanford Magazine. “On the edge of campus sits a historic cactus garden with a thicket of stories to tell... The rare and fierce-looking cacti may have drawn top billing, but Ulrich sampled widely, filling the garden with cypress and spruce trees, as well as succulents like the giant yuccas and towering century plants whose descendants survive to this day.”
7 Dec 2021. Stanford professor spotlights evolutionary tree concepts with campus trees. McKenzie Prillaman, Stanford News. “More than a century of attentive groundskeeping has turned the Stanford campus into a museum of mathematical phylogenetics, says Noah Rosenberg, creator of the Stanford X-Tree Project... [H]e credits the book Trees of Stanford and Environs and the Trees of Stanford website as the key to learning about the trees on campus.”
Dec 2020. Mischief Managed: Stately and venerable, this oak tree witnessed antics that were anything but. Charity Ferreira, Stanford Magazine. “The coast live oak tree known as the Gordon Hampton Oak, which stood at the southwest corner of Galvez Street and Campus Drive, right by the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, was removed this summer after university arborists determined that the base of its trunk was hollow with decay.”
24 Nov 2020. Campus on the cusp of winter. Andrew Brodhead and Kate Chesley, Stanford News. “Fall foliage brightens Stanford’s otherwise empty main campus, while golden grasses reflect the coming transition from fall to winter.”
26 May 2020. Flora and fauna of campus. Michael Byun, The Stanford Daily. “The fountains may be empty and the campus oddly quiet, but the flora and fauna are happy to shelter in place. Cacti are blooming, squirrels scramble everywhere and the palm trees catch the evening light in the unusually clean air.”
12 Sep 2019. Take a Look Inside the Stunning Hidden Garden at Stanford University. Johanna Silver, Martha Stewart. “Originally designed for status and showmanship, the low-water, low-maintenance [Arizona Garden] is a beacon of sustainability.”
28 Feb 2019. ‘Every day was about survival’: Inside the graduate student affordability crisis. Charlie Curnin, The Stanford Daily. “Students scavenge for produce from campus trees to make ends meet.”
29 Nov 2018. Trees of Stanford website details University’s rich botanical landscape and history. Olivia Mitchel, The Stanford Daily. “Paying attention to the kinds of trees around us and learning them gives us an appreciation for, among other things, when they are not there – when they are removed or when they go extinct.”
17 Oct 2018. For the love of trees. Willoughby J. Winograd, The Stanford Daily. “We should recognize that the eucalyptus are one of the many treasures of our campus.”
17 May 2017. Why did the tree cross the road? Stanford Medicine. “Weighing more than 550,000 pounds, the [coast live oak] was relocated earlier this month to make room for the planned BioMedical Innovations Building.”
“The ‘Party with Trees’ introsem provided students with an understanding of the different trees on campus.” —The Stanford Daily, 26 Feb 2015. Sairus Patel, courtesy of Devaki Bhaya

26 Feb 2015. Classy Classes: Party with Trees in Bio29N. Riya Mehta, The Stanford Daily. “[Prof. Bhaya] decided that she would teach a class based on Ronald Bracewell’s “Trees of Stanford”.... The weekly tree tours are a highlight of this class.”
14 Mar 2013. Under Stanford’s transplant program, trees flourish in new homes. Kathleen J. Sullivan, Stanford Report. “Since 1996, Stanford has transplanted 1,048 trees on campus, including oaks, olives, redwoods, pines and cedars…”
8 Nov 2011. Harvesting the Farm. Lana Ho, The Stanford Daily. “But Stanford also has dozens of edible fruit trees tucked away in nearly every corner of the Farm.”
27 Oct 2011. De-bugging trees: Keeping the California oak moth under control. Adrienne von Schulthess, The Stanford Daily. “Stanford tracks the populations before outbreaks because timing is crucial in controlling the moth populations.”
19 Jun 2008. Bicentennial Oak now history, but wood being saved. Stanford Report. “Stanford’s last officially certified historic tree collapsed branch by giant branch last month.” (Note, however, it has vigorously resprouted from the stump.)
28 Mar 2007. Saving a Los Altos family’s trees. Connie Skipitares, The Mercury News. “The campus is renovating the entry to White Plaza near Tressider Memorial Union and was seeking three Phoenix canariensis date palms, just like the ones Baldwin was unloading.”
31 Jul 2006. ‘Tree Bob,’ grounds services veteran, bids farewell to the Farm. Michael Peña, Stanford Report. (See picture on this page.)
18 Jan 2006. Volunteers plant native species, care for Farm’s grounds. Jenny Alen, The Stanford Daily. “‘Volunteering with Magic is a fun way to be out of doors, work with friends and get some exercise while contributing to the ecological integrity of the campus environment.’”
27 May 2005. Foothills Restored to Former Glory. Kristin Cohoon, The Stanford Daily.
23 May 2005. Stanford’s sylvan splendor revealed. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News. “A little-known Stanford University museum was on exhibit Sunday afternoon, displaying things as dear to the campus founding father as any book or building. ... that adorn the campus, are dozens of antique trees.” Fulltext is available to Stanford IP addresses via America’s Newspapers.
2 Mar 2005. Rare, storied camellias to replace lawns near Memorial Church. Michael Peña, Stanford Report.
20 Oct 2004. Demolition delayed for decaying radio antenna farm with glorious past. Dawn Levy, Stanford Report. “Ronald M. Bracewell…”
24 Sep 2004. Alumni couple donates $3 million to establish new education, community center. Lisa Trei, Stanford Report. “The project also will integrate several mature trees, including a rare cypress, that surround the old bookstore.”
Nov/Dec 2003. The Head Gardener Stanford Magazine. “[Herb] Fong jogs to a different campus site each day, keeping mental records of anything that needs follow-up attention.”
Jan/Feb 2003. He Changed the Landscape. Raymond Hardie, Stanford Magazine. “The campus was overrun with automobiles and ‘backyard junk.’ Then Thomas Church came along and dreamed up a peripatetic’s paradise.”
Jan/Feb 2003. New Garden Installed. Betsy Fryberger, Cantor Arts Center Volunteer Newsletter. “Her intention is to create an educational exhibition as well as laboratory for such [California native] plants while adhering to her artistic vision.” Also see: Grass Plantings in the California Native Garden, John Rawlings, 25 May 2006.
15 Jan 2003. Sun again shines on century-old cactus garden. Barbara Palmer, Stanford Report. “In prickly labor of love, volunteers restore Victorian oasis.”
13 Nov 2002. Cardinal Chronicle: First Big Storm of the Season. Barbara Palmer, Stanford Report. “Wind gusts also plucked a number of newly planted 8- to 10-inch oaks from the rain-soaked soil, he said.”
8 May 2002. Cardinal Chronicle: Magnificent Old Centenarian Has Expired. Barbara Palmer, Stanford Report. “[T]he 100-foot-tall, Eucalyptus viminalis that stood south of Varian Laboratory was removed over two weekends in April.”
21 Feb 2001. More trees to grow in shopping center. Lisa Trei, Stanford Report. “‘[T]he new plantings will ensure that the canopy cover for native trees will increase six times in five years and 18 times in 10 years.’”
9 Aug 2000. Cardinal Chronicle: Grounds Manager Herb Fong Reports. Lisa Trei, Stanford Report. “[A] giant bottlebrush tree planted by Stanford’s first president, DAVID STARR JORDAN, recently fell victim to the Bio-X construction project on Campus Drive.”
28 Feb 2000. Cardinal Chronicle: Thomas Church. Stanford Report. “In late spring, Chinese fringe trees blossom into a spectacular show of white flowers in Geology Courtyard behind Building 320.”
Bob Garner, foreground, first came to work on campus at age 17 and stayed for about 47 years until his retirement on July 31, 2006. In this 1999 News Service photo he is shown with tree crew members (left to right) Sergio Larios, Ray Castillo and Neftali Galvan. L.A. Cicero

28 Jul 1999. Caring for 50,000 trees: Not a tall order for Bob Garner. Stanford Report.
14 Apr 1999. Weaving the campus’ visual tapestry: Judy Chan. Laramie Treviño, Stanford Report.
16 Jul 1997. Stanford through a nature lover’s eyes. Lisa Trei, Stanford Report. “Campus resident Ingeborg Ratner has turned her lifelong passion for the outdoors into a self-published book called Nature Walks at Stanford.”
May/Jun 1997. Where the Wild Things Are. Stanford Magazine.
9 Apr 1997. Tending the Farm: Chief Groundskeeper Herb Fong. Lisa Trei, Stanford Magazine. “After 24 years on campus, most of them as chief groundskeeper, this Bay Area native and son of Chinese immigrants has been a firsthand witness to the growth of Stanford.”
28 Jun 1993. Giant mausoleum oak to be removed week of July 12. Karen Bartholomew, Stanford News Service. “[T]he Stanford Historical Society and President Gerhard Casper paid tribute to the dying oak during Founders’ Day ceremonies.”
4 Apr 1990. Campus ‘botanical parkway’ to feature Mediterranean plants. Karen Bartholomew, Campus Report. “ The Campus Drive Botanical Parkway will become a display area for drought-tolerant trees and shrubs of the world’s five Mediterranean climate zones – regions such as California that receive winter rains, but are naturally dry in summer.”
Oct 1980. To the rescue: ancient avocado trees saved by faculty. Jeff Littleboy, Stanford Observer. “When Dirk [Schroder], who used to tend the roses along the mile-long fence on El Camino Real, called up Prof. Ronald Bracewell, he said in effect: ‘I seem to recall that the avocado trees behind the President’s office were planted about the same time as the circles on Inner Quad.’”

Brief Chronology of Stanford’s Early Landscaping

Horticultural Information

Virtual Tour of Campus Gardens
Significant Trees (Stanford Grounds Services)
Horticultural Topics (Stanford Grounds Services)
Points of Interest (Stanford Grounds Services)
Seasonal Topics (Stanford Grounds Services)
Plant Culture Data Sheets of the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation

Main References for New Tree Entries

Newly written or revised entries in the Tree Encyclopedia use the following references, among others. Ronald Bracewell’s 2005 book serves as a primary reference for some historical tree locations.

Bracewell, Ronald. 2005. Trees of Stanford and Environs. Stanford: Stanford Historical Society.
Jacobson, Arthur Lee. 1996. North American Landscape Trees. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press.
McClintock, Elizabeth, edited and arranged by Richard G. Turner Jr. 2001. The Trees of Golden Gate Park and San Francisco. Berkeley: Heyday Books/Clapperstick Institute.
Plants of the World Online. 2024. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Trees and Shrubs Online. 2024. International Dendrological Society.

Bibliography

For additional online tree books try:
The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (Cornell U.)
The Online Books Page
ProQuest Ebook Central (SU login)

Biodiversity

FAO. State of the World’s Forests 2001

Dictionaries/Manuals/North America

Bailey, L. H. 1976. Hortus third: a concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada; revised and expanded by the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Bailey, L. H. 1949. Manual of cultivated plants most commonly grown in the continental United States and Canada, by L. H. Bailey and the staff of the Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University. Rev. ed., completely restudied. New York, Macmillan Co.
Bailey, L. H. 1925. The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. New Ed. The MacMillan Co. 3 vols.
Burns, Russell M., and Barbara H. Honkala. 1990. Silvics of North America: 1. Conifers; 2. Hardwoods. Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. vol.2, 877 p.
Britton, Nathaniel Lord et al. 1908. North American trees: being descriptions and illustrations of the trees growing independently of cultivation in North America, north of Mexico and the West Indies. Collection: The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
Coombes, Allen. 2000. Trees. Corrected ed. London: A Dorling Kindersley Book. British focus.
Dirr, Michael. 1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation, and Uses. 5th ed. Champaign, Illinois: Stipes Publishing.
Earle, Christopher. Gymnosperm database. Department of Botany, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Germany.
Elias, Thomas. 1980. The Complete trees of North America: field guide and natural history. New York: Book Division, Times Mirror Magazines.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 18+ vols. New York and Oxford.
The Nature Conservancy. Wildland Invasive Species Program.
The University of Georgia—Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences—Dept. of Entomology. Invasive.org: Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Kraemer, John Hugo. 1951. Trees of the western Pacific region; descriptions of some of the common and readily accessible trees of
southeast Asia bordering on the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, and of the islands of the western Pacific; including local and native names, occurence, descriptions of the trees, and characteristics of their woods.
Krüssmann, Gerd. 1984–1986. Manual of cultivated broad-leaved trees & shrubs. English ed. Beaverton, OR: Timber Press, in cooperation with the American Horticultural Society. 3 vols.
Krüssmann, Gerd. 1985. Manual of cultivated conifers. English ed. Portland, Or.: Timber Press.
Maiden, Joseph H. 1909–. A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus. Sydney: W.A. Gullick, Government Printer. [PDF Available]
Maiden, Joseph H. 1904–1922. The Forest Flora of New South Wales. © University of Sydney Library, 1999. Link also contains digital copies of some of Maiden’s other books, e.g. A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus and Wattles and Wattlebarks.
The Nurseryman’s directory; a reference book of nurserymen, florists, seedsmen, tree dealers, etc., for the United States, 1883. Alphabetically arranged by States and post offices. 1883.
Ouden, P. den. 1978. Manual of cultivated conifers, hardy in the cold- and warm-temperate zone. The Hague: M. Nijhoff.
Rehder, Alfred. 1986. Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs hardy in North America: exclusive of the subtropical and warmer temperate regions. 2nd ed., rev. and enl. Portland, Ore.: Dioscorides Press.
Riffle, Robert and Paul Craft. 2003. An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Portland, Ore.: Timber Press.
Russell, Paul. 1934. The Oriental Flowering Cherries. USDA Circular No. 313.
Thomas, Peter. 2000. Trees: Their Natural History. CUP. (SU login needed)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Fire Effects Information System.

Stanford, Palo Alto, Bay Area

Abrams, L.R. 1913. The Gymnosperms Growing on the Grounds of Stanford University. [PDF available]. Stanford Univ. Publ. Univ. Series.
Bracewell, Ronald. 2005. Trees of Stanford and Environs. Stanford: Stanford Historical Society.
Bracewell, Ronald. 1984. Trees on the Stanford Campus. Stanford. Photocopy.
Bracewell, Ronald. 1980. Trees on the Stanford Campus: an invitation to contribute data. Photocopy.
Canopy. “Canopy is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to planting and protecting trees in parks, at schools, and along streets of Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and neighboring communities.”
Coombs, Ann. 2004. Trees of Los Altos: a pictorial guide to the wide variety of trees that make Los Altos, California, a uniquely beautiful city. Los Altos, Calif.: Select Books, c2004.
Corelli, Toni. 2005. Illustrated Field Guide to the Woody Plants of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Half Moon Bay: Monocot Press.
Evergreen Park Neighborhood Urban Forestry Project. 1981. Evergreen Park Neighborhood Tree Tour. [PDF available]. Palo Alto: Magic, Inc.
Kjerulff, Georgiana and Albert Wilson. 1976. Trees of Palo Alto. American Revolution Bicentennial ed. Palo Alto: City of Palo Alto.
McClintock, Elizabeth. 2001.The Trees of Golden Gate Park and San Francisco. Berkeley: Heyday Books/Clapperstick Institute.
Olson, Stuart. 1971. A Guide to the trees of Menlo College. Menlo Park, California: Menlo College.
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce. 1959. Trees of Palo Alto. Palo Alto.
Ratner, Ingeborg. 1999. Nature Walks at Stanford. 2nd ed. Stanford [Available for purchase at the Stanford Book Store]
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. n.d. Street Tree Planting in San Francisco.
Thomas, John H. 1961. Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, a manual of the vascular plants. Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press.
Thomas, John H. 1961. “The History of Botanical Collecting in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Central California,” Contributions from the Dudley Herbarium 5: 147–168.
Timby, Sara. 1988. The landscape of the Palo Alto area in the early Spanish Period: observations of the vegetation cover from original sources. Map reproductions with original SU Special Collections MISC 0034 Manuscript Collection.
Wilson, Albert. 1938. Distinctive Trees, Shrubs, and Vines in the Gardens of the San Francisco Peninsula. [PDF available].

California and Pacific States

Abrams, Leroy. 1923–1960. Illustrated flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. 4 vols.
Eliot, Willard. 1938. Forest trees of the Pacific coast; including a brief account of the outstanding characters, distribution and habitat of the trees native to Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon; most of which are also found in Idaho and northern California and eastward to the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. New York, G. P. Putnam.
Griffin, James R.; William B. Critchfield. 1976. The distribution of forest trees in California. [PDF available]. Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station.
Hickman, James. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. The Jepson Flora Project.
Jacobson, A.E. 2006 . Trees of Seattle: The Complete Tree-Finder’s Guide to the City’s 740 Varieties. 2nd ed. Seattle: Sasquatch Books.
Jacobson, A.E. 1989. Trees of Seattle: The Complete Tree-Finder’s Guide to the City’s 740 Varieties. Seattle: Sasquatch Books.
Jepson, Willis Linn. 1909. A Flora of California. 4 vol. Berkeley Digital Library Project
Jepson, Willis Linn. 1924. A flora of the economic plants of California, for agricultural students, including the important crop plants, agricultural weeds, poisonous plants, honey plants, medicinal plants, chaparral shrubs, native timber trees, and the most common native plants of the spring flowering. The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
Jepson, Willis Linn. 1925. A manual of the flowering plants of California, illustrated with 1023 original drawings. Berkeley, Calif.: Sather Gate bookshop.
Jepson, Willis Linn. 1910. The Silva of California. [PDF available]. Berkeley, University Press.
Jepson, Willis Linn. 1910. The trees of California, Illustrated with one hundred and twenty-five original figures. San Francisco: Cunningham, Curtis & Welch. The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
McMinn, Howard E. and Evelyn Maino. 1951. An illustrated manual of Pacific coast trees; with lists of trees recommended for various uses on the Pacific coast by H. W. Shepherd. 2d ed. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
Metcalf, Woodbridge. 1956. Interesting trees in California. [PDF available] University of California Agricultural Extension Service.
Muller, Katherine K. 1974. Trees of Santa Barbara. [Santa Barbara] Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
Muller, Robert N. and Robert Haller. 2005. Trees of Santa Barbara. 1st ed. of rev. and exp. version. Previous version authored by Katherine Muller, c1974.
Pavlik, Bruce. 1991. Oaks of California. Cachuma Press.
Ritter, Matt. 2006. Plants of San Luis Obispo: their lives and stories.
Sonnishsen, Deke, Ed. 2003. Historic Trees of California: A Keepsake in Thirteen Parts. San Francisco: The Book Club of California.
Stuart, John and J. Sawyer. 2001. Trees and Shrubs of California. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Sudworth, George. 1908. repr. 1967. Forest trees of the Pacific slope. With a new foreword by Woodbridge Metcalf and a new table of changes in nomenclature by E. S. Harrar. New York: Dover Publications. [Unabridged reprint of Forest trees of the Pacific slope originally published by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1908.]
Sunset Publishing Corp. 2001. Sunset Western Garden Book. Menlo Park, Calif.
Van Rensselaer, Maunsell. 1948. Trees of Santa Barbara. Rev. and enl. ed. [Santa Barbara] Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
Van Rensselaer, Maunsell. 1940. Trees of Santa Barbara. [Santa Barbara] Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Other US Regional/City

Coker, William Chambers et al. 1934. Trees of the southeastern states, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida. The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)
Kirkwood, Joseph Edward. 1930. Northern Rocky Mountain trees and shrubs. The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA)

Folklore/Cookery

Frazer, James George. 1922. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Abridged ed. New York: Macmillan, 1922. via The Online Book Page
Waters, Alice. 2002. Chez Panisse Fruit. HarperCollins.

Taxonomy

For current news on family standings: Angiosperm Phylogeny Group.
For current news on California taxa on the species level: Index to California Plant Names (University and Jepson Herbaria).

General: International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (used to be called “International Code of Botanical Nomenclature”), International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT).
Gymnosperms: The Gymnosperm Database.
Family: Cronquist, Arthur. The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants. 1988 | Watson, L. and M. J. Dallwitz. The Families of Flowering Plants. 1992.
Genera: Index Nominum Genericorum (ING).
Binomials: International Plant Names Index (IPNI). N.B.: “IPNI is simply a list of the names which have been published to date. You can use it to check spelling, bibliographic details, and in some cases type details but the fact that a name is listed in the index does not mean that it is the currently accepted name for any particular taxon. IPNI does not include vernacular names of plants as these are rarely formally published.”
Families represented on campus.
Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research. Botanical Glossaries.

Notes on selected genera and species

Key to selected conifer species on campus. 2002. General Botany, Fall Qt.
Abrams, L.R. 1913. The Gymnosperms Growing on the Grounds of Stanford University. (PDF) Stanford Univ. Publ. Univ. Series.
Callistemon and Melaleuca: Key to Species.
Cupressus.
Eucalyptus.
Pinus coulteri and Pinus sabiniana, comparison of seeds and seed wings.
Pittosporum.
Quercus: California Oak Identification, Hastings Natural History Reservation.