Trees on Victoria Avenue
The trees on Victoria Avenue can be divided into two major groups: those on the parkways and in the Gardens, and those in the center of the median. In addition, there are two rows of approximately 1300 Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia robusta) that line both sides of the medians from Myrtle to Boundary.
Median Trees
The concept of the median trees has not been altered from its original design by Franz Hosp. These trees in the medians of Victoria Avenue are species of small, deciduous, flowering trees or large shrubs. Each ¼ mile block has 1-3 designated tree species planted on it. Victoria Avenue Forever has taken primary responsibility for planting the median trees as memorial or commemorative trees that are funded by donors.
The current species are:
| Scientific Name | Common name | Flower color | Location |
| Albizia julibrissin | Silk Tree | pink | Irving to Jackson |
| Aesculus ‘Briotti’ carnea | Horsechestnut | pink | Jane to Mary |
| Bauhinia X blakeana |
Hong Kong Orchid Tree | pink | Jane to Mary, John to McAllister |
| Brachychiton acerifolia | Australian Flame Tree | red | Boundary to Cross |
| Brugmansia candida | Angel’s Trumpet | white | Van Buren to Myers |
| Callistemon viminalis | Weeping Bottlebrush | red | Millsweet to La Sierra |
| Cassia leptophylla | Gold Medallion Tree | yellow | Adams to Gratton |
| Caesalpinia spinosa | Poinciana | yellow | St Lawrence to Adams |
| Catalpa spp. | Catalpa | pink | Steward to Boundary |
| Cercis occidentalis/ canadensis ‘Oklahoma’ | Western Redbud | purplish pink | Central to Arlington, Jackson to Gibson |
| Chionanthus retusus | Chinese Fringe Tree | white | Gratton to Monroe |
| X Chitalpa tashkentensis | Chitalpa | pink | Hill to Madison |
| Ceiba ‘elegance’ (formally Chorisia ‘elegance’) | Floss Silk Tree | pink | Groveland to Millsweet |
| Ceiba speciosa (formally formally Chorisia speciosa) | Floss Silk Tree | white | Gibson to Van Buren |
| Erythrina coralloides | Naked Coral Tree | red-orange | Madison to Jefferson |
| Handroanthus impetiginosus (formally Tabebuia avellandae) | Pink Trumpet Tree | pink | McAllister to Tyler |
| Hymenosporum flavum | Sweetshade | yellow | Washington to Hill |
| Koelreiuteria paniculata | Goldenrain Tree | yellow | Cross to Groveland |
| Lagerstroemia indica | Crape Myrtle | pink, red, white | Lincoln to Anna,Horace to Jane, Madison to Jefferson, Monroe to Irving, Myers to John |
| Magnolia x soulangiana | Saucer Magnolia | pink | Rumsey to Central, Gibson to Van Buren |
| Malus floribunda | Flowering Crabapples | pink | John to McAllister |
| Prunus persica | Flowering Peach | pink, red, white | Madison to Grace, Adams to Gratten, Irving to Jackson |
| Prunus persica/ nucipersica ‘Alma Stutz’ | Flowering Nectarine | pink | Grace to Jefferson |
| Pyracantha spp. | Pyracantha | white | Jane to Mary, Hill to Madison |
| Pyrus calleryana | Flowering Pear | white | Jane to Washington |
| Sophora secundiflora | Texas Mountain Laurel | lavender-blue | Millsweet to La Sierra |
| Spirea nipponica | Bridal Wreath Spirea | white | Van Buren to Myers |
| Vitex agnus-castus | Chaste Tree | blue | Lincoln to Horace, Jefferson to Adams |
Parkway Trees
The Victoria Avenue parkway trees are quite different from the median trees. They are larger, large-crowned, mostly evergreen and typically do not have showy flowers in the spring, with some exceptions. Like the median trees, each block is planted with one or two alternating species. These trees were planted by the property owners for frontage on the Avenue as a requirement upon purchase. Many of these trees are now Citrus sinensis (Navel Orange) trees that have been planted by the City of Riverside and maintained by Gless Ranch.
The more abundant species on the parkways include:
- Ailanthus altissima – Tree-of-Heaven
- Bauhinia variegate – Purple Orchid Tree
- Calodendrum capense – Cape Chestnut
- Caesalpinia spinosa – Poinciana
- Cassia leptophylla – Gold Medallion Tree
- *Cupressus sempervirens – Italian Cypress
- Fraxinus uhdei – Shamel Ash
- Grevillea robusta – Silk Oak
- Handroanthus impetiginosus – Pink Trumpet Tree
- Jacaranda mimosifolia – Jacaranda
- Lagerstroemia indica – Crape Myrtle
- Ligustrum lucidulum – Glossy Privet
- Magnolia grandiflora – Southern Magnolia
- Nerium oleander – Oleander
- Paulownia tomentosa – Empress Tree
- *Pinus canariensis – Canary Island Pine
- Pittosporum tobira
- Pyracantha fortuneana – Pyracantha
- Schinus molle – California Pepper
- Schinus terebinthifolius – Brazilian Pepper
- *Thuja occidentalis – American Arborvitae
*These species are conifers, whereas the other species are all flowering plants.
Palm trees are planted both in the median and on the parkways.
There are two rows of approximately 1300 Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta) that line both sides of the medians from Myrtle to Boundary and date from the early 1900s. These rows of columnar palms provide one of the most iconic images of Victoria Avenue. As the story goes, a grower (C.E. Rumsey) raised these palms from seed on his property, provided these them to Hosp and had his field employees (Milford Thomas and Charlie Yamaguchi) plant them.
In addition, the remaining palm species planted on the parkways are:
Brahea edulis – Guadalupe Palm
Phoenix canariensis – Canary Island Palm
Washingtonia filifera – California Fan Palm
Eucalypus Trees
Giant Eucalyptus Trees are among the most massive trees on the parkways. There were originally 300 Eucalyptus trees that included 14 species. Through the years, many of the agricultural lots have been converted to residential, or to drip irrigation to save water. With inadequate water supply, many of these giants have died since 1990 and they are still dying. Efforts between Victoria Avenue Forever and the City of Riverside are underway to help save the remaining Eucalyptus trees on Victoria Avenue.
The most common species of Eucalyptus on the parkways are:
Corymbia citriodora – Lemon scented Gum
C. ficifolia – Red Flowering Gum
Eucalyptus cladocalyx – Sugar Gum
E. camaldulensis – Red Gum
E. globulus – Blue Gum
E. leucoxylon – White Iron Bark
E. nicholii – Willow-Leafed Gum
E. polyanthemos – Silver Dollar Gum
E. rudis – Flooded Gum
E. sideroxylon – Red Ironbark
E. tereticornis – Forest Red Gum
E. viminalis – Manna Gum
Trees in the Gardens
Each of the corner “pocket parks” contains trees, shrubs and ground covers. Some of these tree species are unique (*) to Victoria Avenue as they are not present in the medians or parkways elsewhere.
Dammers Butterfly Garden (Mary St)
Ceiba speciosa – Floss Silk Tree
Citrus sinensis – Navel Orange
Dr. Lewis Garden (Jane St)
Agonis flexuosa – Peppermint Tree, Australian Willow Myrtle
*Banksia intergrifolia – Coast Banksia
Ceiba speciosa – Floss Silk Tree
X Chitalpa tashkentensis – Chitalpa
*Ginkgo biloba – Maidenhair Tree
*Hydroanthus chrysotrichus – Yellow Trumpet Tree
Lagerstroemia indica – Crape Myrtle
*Parkinsonia aculeate – Mexican Palo Verde
*Tipuana tipu – Tipu Tree
Hal Snyder Garden (Harrison St)
*Cotinus coggygria – Smoke Tree ‘Notcutt’s Variety’
*Hibiscus syriacus – Rose of Sharon ‘albus’ single trunk
Lagerstroemia indica – Crape Myrtle (white flowers)
*Platanus x acerfolia – Plane Tree
*Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Maki’– Yew Pine
Prunus sp. – Flowering Cherry
A major source of information on the trees of Victoria Avenue can be found in “A Tree Inventory of Victoria Avenue, Riverside, California” dated November 1992. It was compiled by Victoria Avenue Forever with assistance by Andrew Sanders, Curator of the UCR Herbarium.