Our Historic and Specimen Trees

Trees are always important in Claremont, but sometimes they take on special meanings. Two groups of trees have gained an extra significance in Claremont's history: the American Elms at Memorial Park and the College Avenue Eucalyptus trees.

"It was only six days after the first town meeting (in February of 1889) that a three-member committee on sidewalks and shade trees reported a gift of 250 trees with the suggestion that the residents meet and decide what trees should be planted on each street." 1 It was the consensus of these early Claremont pioneers that the city have the character and charm of an east coast college town. To foster this idea many of the trees originally selected were species found more commonly in the eastern part of the country. Among this first batch of trees were several Ulmus americana, or American Elm (as they are commonly called). It was decided that the majority of these Elms would be planted along what is now Indian Hill Boulevard. Many of these trees still remain standing and in good health to this day; the most notable of them form the high canopy on Indian Hill Boulevard, near Memorial Park.

Not only does Claremont boast one of the oldest living groves of American Elms in California, it may also be one of the healthiest in the nation. This is rather amazing considering the onslaught of Dutch Elm Disease, or DED.

DED is a lethal tree disease which has infected about 98%. of the American Elms across North America, but has not yet reached Southern California. Because the disease can spread so rapidly and usually kills the tree it infects, a quarantine on the importation of Elms into California has been in effect for quite some time now. No California nurseries currently grows these stately trees. Whether through disease or advanced age, the old Elms will not last forever - but we won't be caught unprepared. In February of 1991, twenty-eight experimental American Elms (three cultivars) were planted on 11th Street, just west of Indian Hill. The experimental Elms, bred for resistance to DED, were planted in Claremont for field testing. They were obtained through the California Department of Forestry, in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service. To date, the experimental Elms have been very successful, but it's virtually impossible to obtain more.

The City of Claremont feels strongly that the distinctive character of Indian Hill Boulevard should be preserved. The graceful branches of the Elms, laced together high above the street, create a shady ambiance found in few communities. That is why the City is committed to monitor and maintain these trees with the greatest of care. They are our heritage.

Claremont is a city that prides itself on its trees - not only the size and abundance of them, but the fact that we boast a multitude of interesting and rare species. Here are a few of the unique species that may be found around town.

This tropical citrus relative, which grows to about 50 feet, bears a small pale-green to yellow fruit. The texture of the fruit's white flesh is something like custard. White Sapote usually only thrives in frost-free coastal areas.

Unlike the Coast Redwood, to which it is related, the Dawn Redwood loses all of its needles in the winter. This is one of the few conifer (trees with needles instead of leaves, such as Pines) known to exhibit such behavior.

Finely divided, deep green ferny leaves grace this Channel Islands native. Fernleaf Catalina Ironwood bears large, flat clusters of white flowers and grows upright to between 40 and 60 feet tall.