Callistemon viminalis weeping bottlebrush

Callistemon viminalis in the History Corner of the Outer Quad. Sairus Patel, 11 May 2017

Callistemon ‘Little John’, foreground, in Meyer Green. Sairus Patel, 25 Sep 2022

A striking single-trunked tree with showy red flowers arranged in bottlebrush fashion along the branches, mostly in summer – the colored stamens providing the flowers’ glory, and the genus name: Greek kalli, beautiful, as in calligraphy, beautiful writing. Narrow leaves clothe the weeping branches – viminalis means “with long shoots” – and, together with the persistent, evenly furrowed bark, lend the tree year-round appeal. Branch growth continues beyond each bottlebrush tip, so the small round seed capsules eventually form snug collars along older stems. Hummingbirds and orioles sip from the nectar-rich flowers.

Two stand to the west of Building 10 in the History Corner courtyard; another is at the east side of Spruce Hall. Several face Serra Street near the south corner of the Fire Department complex, along with a couple of shrubby C. citrinus. In Escondido Village, look for some at 60 Olmsted Road and nearby. Substantial trees grow from a narrow median on the 2400–2600 blocks of Birch Street in Palo Alto.

Callistemon ‘Little John’ is a popular dwarf cultivar with deep crimson stamens tipped by golden anthers, and neat blue-green leaves. Its bark and fused stamen bases clearly suggest an affinity with C. viminalis. See mass plantings at Meyer Green and in front of the Angel of Grief. Often hedged to keep it low, it can with age and water rise to 9 feet, as at 903 Paradise Road in Palo Alto.

· Callistemon and Melaleuca: Key to Species

Name derivation: see text above.