Lauraceae

Cinnamomum camphora

Camphor tree

Look for: 
- A large, spreading tree with a rounded profile,
- spherical, shiny, black fruits held on enlarged green bases,
- cupped, glossy leaves that are aromatic when crushed,
- distinctive bumps where the first three leaf veins meet
- bark in flattened, vertical strips.

Lauraceae

Laurus nobilis

Grecian laurel, Sweet bay

Look for: 
- A small tree with a smooth, gray trunk,
- leathery, elliptic leaves with entire margins,
- small flowers in umbels that arise from the leaf axils (generally 2 umbels per axil),
- (on female trees) shiny black or dark purple fruits that look like jelly beans.

Lauraceae

Umbellularia californica

California bay, Oregon myrtle

Look for: 
- A tree with yellow-green foliage,
- alternate, narrow, elliptic leaves with entire margins,
- terminal racemes of large flower buds that appear at the branch tips in the fall,
- small, perfect, green and yellow flowers appearing in little umbels in the winter.

Myoporaceae

Eremophila maculata

Spotted emu bush

Look for: 
- A rounded, evergreen bush,
- narrow, alternate leaves with entire margins,
- solitary flowers that arise from the leaf axils on long, curving peduncles,
- colorful, sympetalous flowers

- 4 stamens, 1 pistil, 4 small corolla lobes above, and 1 large corolla lobe below.

Myrtaceae

Callistemon citrinus

Lemon bottlebrush

Look for: 
- A small tree (3-5 m), often with multiple trunks,
- apetalous flowers of many long, red stamens, arranged in a whorl around the stem,
- woody capsules that persist on older stems,
- leaves with hairy margins that give a faint citrus smell when crushed.

Myrtaceae

Callistemon 'Little John'

Dwarf bottlebrush

Look for: 
- a low, mounding shrub with blue-green foliage,
- narrow, linear leaves (around the width of a pencil),
- apetalous flowers composed of many dark red stamens,

- flowers arranged in a whorl around the stem.

Myrtaceae

Eucalyptus sp.

Eucalyptus

Look for: 
- Gray-green leaves that are elliptic or oval (juvenile) to falcate (adult),
- showy, apetalous flowers that resemble sea anemones,
- persistent woody seed capsules.

Myrtaceae

Feijoa sellowiana

Pineapple guava

Look for: 
- a shrub or small tree with opposite, oval leaves,
- leaves that are dull green above, white and tomentose below,
- urn-shaped edible green fruit that smell vaguely of pineapple.

Myrtaceae

Myrtus communis

Myrtle, Common myrtle

Look for: 
- A shrub or small tree,
- opposite, glossy, ovate leaves with pointed tips and entire margins, 
- foliage that is aromatic when broken or rubbed,
- bright, powderpuff flowers of white stamens in the summer,
- dark blue or purple elliptic fruits with persistent calyx lobes at the tip.

Myrtaceae

Myrtus communis 'Boetica'

Twisted myrtle

Look for: 
- A shrub or small tree with twisted, upright limbs and few secondary branches,
- elliptic to lanceolate leaves that have no petioles and

- are crowded onto the branches in regular ranks, 
- bright, powderpuff flowers of white stamens in the summer,
- dark blue or purple fruits that hang on the tree in the fall

Myrtaceae

Myrtus communis 'Compacta'

Compact myrtle

Look for: 
- A shrub with narrow, opposite leaves,
- small white flowers in the summer, 
- tiny purple fruits in the fall.

Rutaceae

Coleonema pulchellum

Pink diosma

Look for: 
- A shrub that resembles heather,
- tiny, linear leaves all around the stems,
- small pink flowers in the wintertime.

Rutaceae

Correa cv.

Australian fuchsia

Look for: 
- A small evergreen shrub,
- opposite leaves, 
- tube-shaped flowers in a variety of colors,
- sympetalous, actinomorphic corollas composed of four petals.

Theaceae

Camellia japonica

Japanese camellia

Look for: 
- Wide, glossy leaves with serrated margins,
- smooth, bare stem tips,
- large, spherical flower buds,
- large white, pink, or red flowers in the wintertime.

Thymelaeaceae

Daphne odora 'Aureo-marginata'

Pink winter daphne

Look for: 
- Dark green elliptic leaves with cream-colored margins,
- clusters of bright pink buds that appear at the stem tips in December,
- sweetly fragrant flowers that open in January and February.