Lilac tree or small shrub - Syringa vulgaris

The Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is a small tree or shrub that is native to southeast Europe but is cultivated in many regions of the world. It is valued as an ornamental plant for its beautiful flowers and for the fragrance that the flowers emit when in bloom. These images were taken in Spain in Madrid (the white cultivar) and in Malaga (the lilac colored flowers).
My roots herald from the city of Spokane Washington which is known as the "Lilac city". Every May there is a week long "Lilac Festival" with many activities including the "Armed Forces Torchlight Parade".
There are many cultivars (varieties within the species or crosses between two related species) of Lilac that have different colored flowers. These white colored flowers come from the "Alba" cultivar. I found this particular tree in the "Retiro" park on downtown Madrid.

The leaves of the Lilac are simple with a "cordate" shape and grow opposite on the branch. They are about 3-4 inches long.

Lilacs tend to grow with multiple stems although with diligent pruning you can keep the plant from to just one main stem. As you can see in the image below this Lilac has about 5-6 intertwined stems.

Himalayan Cedar tree - Cedrus deodara

I found this Himalayan Cedar tree (Cedrus deodara) this morning in the "El Retiro" park of Madrid, Spain. The Retiro park is similar to the "Central Park" of New York City and is a paradise for arbourist and tree lovers. The Spanish name "Retiro" means retreat, so named because it is where many of Madrid´s local residents go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This morning was no exception, the park was full of people doing all sorts of activities as well as just relaxing.

The Himalayan Cedar is one of the true cedars and is a close relative to the Cedar of Lebanon and the Atlas Cedar. It can be distinguished from these other two by the length of its leaves (up to 2 inches long) and by the number of leaves on reach "rosette" (12-15).
Another distinguishing feature of the Himalayan Cedar is that the new branches tend to hang down in a sort of "weeping tree" manner. In the images below you can see the new leaves that are growing at the center of each rosette.

This particular cedar is quite big, with the trunk measuring about 3-4 feet in diameter at the base. I estimate the hight at about 100 feet. In the top image above you can see the distinct shape of these cedars.
The image below is not too clear but does show the bark pattern of this tree species.

The cones of this tree are very similar to those of the Cedar of Lebanon
The image below is of another tree I found in the Retiro park that was even taller than the one above.

Weeping Willow tree - Salix babylonica

The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is perhaps one of the most common trees to see in parks with ponds full of ducks and geese. I have fond memories of standing on the edge of a pond feeding the ducks and occasionally a large swan with a majestic Weeping Willow tree on a small island as the backdrop. The image above is of a pond in Laurelhurst park in Portland, Oregon. The tall trees behind the Weeping Willow are Giant Sequoias.

The image below is of a Weeping Willow in early spring before the green leaves appear. The smaller branches have a orange-yellow color that gives the Weeping Willow an interesting appearance even in Winter when it has no leaves. This particular tree is located in a park on the north side of Spokane Washington.

The image below is of the new leaf buds along the long, thin "weeping" branches before the leaves form.
The bark of the Weeping willow is fairly thick and rough with a sort of stretch pattern that can be seen in the picture below.

Another "weeping" tree that I like is the Weeping Bottlebrush tree.

Ponderosa Pine tree - Pinus ponderosa

I took these pictures of the Ponderosa Pine in a park on the north side of Spokane Washington near highway two as it head north-east towards Newport. Along one side of the park there was a stand of these tall pine trees and as the day was clear and sunny it was a great opportunity to get some good detail pictures of the cones and pine needles.

The needles of this pine tree species are about 7-8 inches long (17-20cm). The seed cones are roundish and about 4 inches long. I would estimate that the trees in the picture above are about 100 feet tall.

As can be seen in the image above the new seed cones are quite prickly as is the bark on the new branches. The bark on the main trunk has a puzzle like pattern.


The seed cones grow two or three together at the same place on the branch and when they fall they leave a curious looking stub (below).

This tree is quite common throughout the Inland Empire and up into Canada.