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Self-Paced Site Tour
Item 4 of 33
This is a contributing entry for Self-Paced Site Tour and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
Native sycamores, planted here by landscape architect Ralph Cornell in 1930s, are the keystone plant of this space. Their shady canopy provides a welcoming respite on a warm day. Cornell wrote at length about their “picturesque branching habit,” but he considered the bark to be their “most striking characteristic." While strolling along this path, you will also notice tall shrubs with small dark green leaves and small clusters of purple-blue flowers. These are a hybrid Ceanothus (California Lilac) named Concha. The Tongva used the branches as digging sticks and their spring flowers as soap or shampoo.

Ceanothus Blooms (California Lilac)

Ceanothus Blooms (California Lilac)

Ceanothus (California Lilac)

Ceanothus (California Lilac)

Native Sycamore

Native Sycamore

Sycamore Bark

Sycamore Bark