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Later in life, Pleasant suffered tabloid-driven scandals and financial reverses. She died in San Francisco in 1904 and is buried in Tulocay Cemetery, north of the city, in the town of Napa. All that is left of her opulent mansion is the row of blue gum eucalyptus she planted in front of her property on Octavia Street. Set in the sidewalk amid these trees, a historical marker identifies the blue gums as something special—a part of San Francisco’s history.

Eucalyptus globulus

BLUE GUM EUCALYPTUS

LOCATION: Main Post of the San Francisco Presidio (this Centennial Tree was planted in 1876 by the U.S. Army to celebrate the country’s 100th year)

Native to a small range in Tasmania and southeastern Australia, the blue gum is likely the most common nonnative tree in California. Introduced to California in 1856, the fast-growing tree was planted extensively by pioneers hoping to make a fast buck from timber plantations (a mistake, as it turned out, because the wood of the blue gum is not well suited for sawn timber). The blue gum has since naturalized and become common in California—too common for some native-plant enthusiasts, who push for its eradication. Others (myself included) are not so doctrinaire; I associate eucalyptus with California and could not imagine the state without them.