Salicaceae (willow family) Xylosma

Xylosma congesta xylosma

Eastern Asia
Xylosma congesta leaves and flowers. John Rawlings, ca. 2005

Xylosma is highly regarded as a handsome, adaptable small tree or shrub for garden accent. It has shiny, yellowish-green leaves 2-3 inches long and distinctive bronze-colored new growth. A sizeable tree can be spotted in the Okada resident fellow’s cottage’s fenced in yard on the right, in Wilbur Hall. Another attractive pair of trees is on the Mayfield Avenue side of 731 San Rafael Place. A fine massed planting is on San Francisco Court where it enters Alvarado Row; another is nearby on San Francisco Terrace. On campus, it is usually a sheared hedge, as at the modules at Galvez Mall. Magnificent groups of trees are in the center divider of El Camino Real near the southern border of Redwood City.

About this Entry: The main text of this entry is from the book Trees of Stanford and Environs, by Ronald Bracewell, published 2005. Specific name updated from “congestum” to “congesta” – it had been originally published (Philippine Journal of Science 15: 247 (1920)) as “congestum,” per IPNI; family updated from Flacourtiaceae to Salicaceae; Via Palou parking lot and Wilbur main entrance locations removed, Okada and San Rafael Place locations added; all locations up to date (Jan 2024, SP).