Trees of San Francisco

February in San Francisco could be called the beginning of spring. Although plants bloom here all year long, in February, three trees with the most fun flowers beautify the City.

Bailey’s Acacia with yellow flowers. Cherry Plum (Purple Leaf Plum), and Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Bailey’s Acacia is native to Australia and is quite popular in San Francisco. The tree has leaves all year round but in February, it bursts with small yellow flowers arranged in cylindrical clusters. It is a fast-growing and easily adaptable tree.

Cherry Plum (Purple Leaf Plum). For many years I mistook Cherry Blossoms with Cherry Plum. They both have pink flowers, they bloom at the same time of the year, they have the same size. So, what is different? If we look closely, we notice that Cherry Plum has purple leaves. While it is beautiful to look at, you need to hurry up, because, in a windy city like San Francisco, these fragile flowers won’t stay long!

Japanese Cherry Blossom. A tree that many of you thought when saw Cherry Plum. Japanese Cherry Blossom is a tree you can find for sure in Japantown! (surprise). Remember that there are many varieties of Japanese Cherry Blossoms and the one you find in San Francisco might not look exactly like the one from Washington D.C. The one in San Francisco is referred to as “Kawanzan” and has double pink flowers. The tree stays bare for most of the year but repays everything in February.

Trees of San Francisco February Bloom MAP

The map was done thanks to the information from SF Public Works. I used their data to map only bigger trees or clusters of trees. If you want to find all of them go to: SF Public Works