102 Harvard

Camphor tree is an evergreen native to China and Japan. The leaves are aromatic, smelling like camphor when crushed. It grows slowly to 50 ft. or more and equally wide. It is a species that was very commonly planted as a street tree years ago. The city of Palo Alto has many. 

Unfortunately, it has been learned the hard way that this is a species that doesn’t belong anywhere near a sidewalk. The young tree pictured at right will, as it matures, form a large buttress too large for the space, necessitating root cutting and expensive sidewalk repair and eventual removal of the tree.

West Baltimore Ave.

6 Alexander