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Erythrina crista-galli

COCKSPUR CORAL TREE

LOCATION: 366 Cumberland St./Sanchez St. in Dolores Heights

The cockspur coral tree is likely to be better known to readers from Southern California, where it is common. San Francisco is outside the normal range of this warmth-loving tree. In fact, I am aware of only one sizable example of this tree in San Francisco: a large and healthy specimen in a wind-protected spot in Dolores Heights. (The best time to visit this tree is in late June and July, when it is in full bloom.) Cockspur coral trees are native to southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Crista-galli is Latin for “cock’s comb,” which the distinctive showy, pink flowers resemble, and they are like nothing else you will find in a Bay Area tree. In Argentina, children call the flowers patitos (ducklings), because they float like little ducks when dropped in water.

Quercus suber

CORK OAK

This native of the western Mediterranean is the tree from which natural cork is made, and the species name suber is Latin for “cork.” The tree’s bark is its distinctive feature; if you stick your finger into the fissures on the trunk of a cork oak, you’ll be able to feel the spongy new bark from which cork is made. Cork is formed from multiple layers of strong cell walls that are both airtight and waterproof. This kind of bark protects the tree from two common environmental threats in the Mediterranean region: drought (watertight bark keeps moisture in) and fire (airtight bark acts as a fire retardant, preventing damage to the living layers inside and allowing the tree to rebound quickly after fires).