Trees of Mountain View Cemetery

I’m a sucker for beautiful trees. I especially like seeing mature trees that have space to reach their maximum size, and seeing trees as they go through their seasonal cycles. Last fall I joined the “Trees of Mountain View Cemetery” tour in Oakland. I had learned about the tour while taking the Tree ID class at Merritt College in 2012, and finally had an opportunity to take it.

Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan') - the same variety planted in Washington , D.C. This is a recent addition to the cemetery, and beautiful in spring!

Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) - a traditional cemetery tree. The weeping form is a good metaphor for sorrow. It looks a little odd without its pond, which has been drained due to the drought.

Chris Pattillo, a veteran guide at the cemetery and a landscape architect, lead the tour. The weather threatened rain, but everyone in our group voted to continue. Pattillo introduced us to native trees in the cemetery, such as Monterey Pine, Giant Sequoia, and Live Oak; and exotic trees, such as Ginkgo, Monkey Puzzle, and Dawn Redwood.

Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra 'Italica') - Olmsted favored the tall columnar shape for cemeteries, representing the reach toward the heavens.

Ginkgo or Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba) - this ancient tree with the unique fan-shaped leaves is from a family that existed with the dinosaurs.

Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Mountain View Cemetery, and recommended a small tree palette (he specifically cited Italian Cypress, Italian Stone Pine, Monterey Cypress, Cedar of Lebanon, and Live Oaks). However, since he designed the cemetery during the Victorian era when collecting specimen plants and trees was all the rage, the final plant list extends well beyond that recommendation.

Saucer Magnolia or Tulip Tree (Magnolia soulangiana) - magnolias are used throughout the cemetery. Olmsted recommended using trees with dark leaves to convey a sense of lushness in our dry climate. Magnolias originated in the New World, but this hybrid was developed in France.

Yew (Taxus baccata) - this slow growing, somber tree is associated with burial grounds, and is also an ancient tree.

We followed the route of Patillo’s self-guided tour—Trees of Mountain View Cemetery—up the main avenue, with multiple detours to seek out specific trees and shelter during some serious downpours! We saw deciduous trees with beautiful fall colors, and evergreen trees.

Sweet Gum or Liquid Amber (Liquidamber styraciblua) - this has a tall, columnar form with leaves that look like maple. This New World tree provides fall color in the Bay Area.

Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) - this tree was suggested by Olmsted as suitable cemetery tree. Its dense, horizontal form complements the columnar trees native to California.

I recommend the tour for anyone interested in trees. You can wait for one of the official tours offered periodically in fall or spring (watch the Calendar for the schedule), or you can take the self-guided tour (down load the guide: http://www.pgadesign.com/pdfs/Mtn_View_Tree_Tour.pdf). I used its information about trees and cemetery design to write this article.