Tree ID #2

This one compounds the confusion.

Koelreuteria paniculata

Thanks Wee. I guess I've seen this tree before in arboreta, but have never taken a close look at it. The foliage is distinctive enough that I should be able to remember it.

Ditto to Koelreuteria paniculata

Resin

Is this a Purple Empress tree?

What is the botanical name?

CA is out of my league, but I'm going to guess Tibouchina sp. just to get the ball rolling.

ADVICE: start your own thread, to maximize interested views. Posted at the end of someone else's ID thread, you won't have too many eyes looking to help you.

Never mind...I found it. It is Paulownia tomentosa.

Sorry, not paulownia. Looks like tibouchina to me, too.
I think it's sometimes called 'princess flower', which may contribute to the 'empress' confusion.

Agree with Wee - that absolutely positively is NOT Paulownia tomentosa.

Paulownia tomentosa is a spring blooming large tree with trumpet-like flowers that remind one of Catalpa. They have very large heart-shaped leaves arranged in opposite fashion along the stems.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/391/

Not a bit like your much more attractive plant...

Thank you both. I have forgotten more than I admit.

They do not grow where I live. Our winters are too cold here in the mountains. They grow in southern California though.

This message was edited Nov 9, 2014 10:55 PM

Sierra Foothills are nothing to scoff at. The few times I've been able to visit in my life, I really didn't want to leave.

Imagining the Calaveras grove of Big Trees, and the Eddy Arboretum near Placerville....

I have heard that there are plans to expand Eddy Arboretum, A lot of change going on in Placerville lately.

I've only been to CA one time, but it made quite an impression. Water is an issue, but I could definitely live there. Eddy Arb is on my radar.

The Sierra foothills are lovely with a Mediterranean type climate. It gets just cold enough in the winter for fruit. I live just a couple hundred miles north in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon with similar temp profile but a lot more water.

I'm going to pull out some photos from the one time I was fortunate enough to drive through the Rogue River valley, and visit Grants Pass.

Abacela Vineyard/Winery was exceptional, too.

There was a great park in Grants Pass, full of fine conifers which I knew were wonderful representations of the regional forest but weren't familiar to me.

I took these pictures back in July 2008, when my wife and I were taking my youngest nephew from Germany on a summer trip. Meant to get them ID'd back then, but got lost in the sands of time - I'll blame the Oregon Dunes...

Yeah, VV I love that park.
I can't see the foliage very well But will try and ID for you. I am out of time right now but will come back to this. The 4th pic is ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa). I am pretty sure pic 3 is Douglas fir (pseudotsuga).

Photo #1 has the shape and overall look of a young Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) But without a better view of the leaves I can't say for sure. There are about a dozen redwoods in this park.

Pic 2 is tougher. it has the look of Port-Orford-cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana). Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) has a very similar look.

The skinny tree on the right along the lamppost Is western redcedar (Thuja plicata). It's foliage is a little sparse, I am quite sure of this one being as that tall skinny spire is so characteristic of this tree at this age. To the left in pic #1 I can see some of the droopy foliage of Alaska-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis).

We drove through Grants Pass on the way to Hwy 5 as I was tired of driving. It was lovely. I drove from our CA home to Brookings, then followed the coast highway all the way to Astoria, and then back down the coast.

Great sunset!

I enjoyed the Oregon coast as well on my trip, and it was second favorite to the coniferous haunts.

I've taken my ID business here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1380890/