Last week I was taken with new Arbutus menziesii leaves that I thought gave the impression of flowers. That seemed to be a recurring theme yesterday, starting right at the boardwalk with the new leaves of Cephalotaxus harringtonia. Here's Callistemon pallidus, whose new leaves are so soft. I'm having trouble resisting the urge to say they're cute (but I see in a news item in the local paper that that's just a word that women use to describe things we like). Lithocarpus cleistocarpus, with a photo showing the leaves filling out. The new leaves weren't showy like on the other plants, but they did give the impression of being flowers. and Lithocarpus densiflorus. The Quercus velutina looked like it was covered in flowers because the leaves were so brightly coloured. The new leaves and leaf buds of the Rhododendron kesangiae make the plant just as interesting without the flowers.
New(?) combination Notholithocarpus densiflorus was put forward awhile back, do not know current level of acceptance.
Yep, Tanoak is now Notholithocarpus densiflorus; genetic data showed it is more closely related to Quercus and Castanea than to the Asian species of Lithocarpus. The relevant publication is Manos, Cannon & Oh, 2008. Phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of the paleoendemic Fagaceae of western North America: recognition of a new genus, Notholithocarpus. Madroño 55 (3): 181-190. Click for a copy:
