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Research in Context
Tree species with area of origin the American Continent
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Leucaena leucocephala
Fabaceae
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Distribution in Athens It has been used in recent plantings in the central square of the borough of Ilioupoli. It is also present in the collections of Diomedes Botanic Garden.
Biomes seasonally dry tropical
Countries and regions
Area of origin Mexico to Central America.
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Baleares, Canary Is., Cyprus, Italy, Madeira, Portugal, Sicilia, Spain.
ASIA: Andaman Islands, Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chagos Archipelago, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Gulf States, Hainan, India, Iraq, Jawa, Kazan-retto, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Nansei-shoto, Nicobar Islands, Ogasawara-shoto, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, West Himalaya, Yemen, Vietnam.
AFRICA: Algeria, Angola, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, DR Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ascension, Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea islands, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rodrigues, St.Helena, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan-South Sudan, Tunisia, Liberia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Provinces), Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
AMERICAS: Argentina Northwest, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Easter Islands, Ecuador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico Northwest, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., USA (Florida, Texas, Hawaii), Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Wake Island, Windward Islands.
OCEANIA: Australia (New South Wales, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria), Bismarck Archipelago, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Caroline Islands, Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Islands, Line Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Niue, Phoenix Islands, Pitcairn Is., Samoa, Society Is., Solomon Is., Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Island, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Islands
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories In 55 inventories around the world.
OCEANIA: Australia (Manningham)
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero), Brazil (Bahia, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Cafeara, Curitiba - Paraná, Fortaleza, Goiandira, Guarapuava, Jatai, Paraiba, Ponta Grossa, Rio de Janeiro), Colombia (Ibague City, Leticia, Manizales, Medellin, Pereira, Valle del Cauca - Norte del Valle), Nicaragua (León), Mexico (Merida), Panama (Bella Vista, Betania, San Francisco), Peru (Piura)
USA (Austin, Cape Coral, Honolulu, Phoenix, Tampa, Santa Monica).
EUROPE: Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife).
ASIA: Iran (Ahvaz), Turkey (Antalya), China (Chongqing, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanchang), India (Bangalore, Bhopal), Taiwan (Bangkok, Taipei), Thailand.
AFRICAS: Botswana (Gabarone), Zimbabwe (Harare), Niger (Maradi, Niamey), Nigeria (Ibadan, Uyo), Morocco (Casablanca).
Performance It appears to perform well and withstand urban hea
Literature references SelecTree (2025)
References on Leucaena leucocephala
Plant Species Databases
UFEI, Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute. California State Polytechnic University.
Best Trees for Southern California’s Climate Future. Select Tree, a Tree Selection Guide. Updated 2025.
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/list/421 (Small to Medium-Sized Trees for California's Climate Future, curated by Matt Ritter)
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/1649 (Leucaena leucocephala)
florꜳnatolica | Türkiye bitki atlası
https://floranatolica.com/index.php
'Leucaena leucocephala'
https://floranatolica.com/eukaria/gui/species.php?ID=Leucaena-leucocephala
Plant Species Databases
Trees and Shrubs Online, www.treesandshrubsonline.org
Article from the book "New Trees" by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton,
'Leucaena leucocephala'
https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/leucaena/leucaena-leucocephala/
Books
New Trees Recent Introductions to Cultivation (2009)
By: John Grimshaw and Ross Bayton
The plant Book. (1997)
Mabberley, David John
2nd Ed. UK
Cambridge University Press; UK
Liquidambar styraciflua
Altingiaceae
Image source Vaso Timonidou (December 2025), suburb Glyka Nera
Distribution in Athens Rarely used. In the borough of Zografou and the suburb of Paiania - Glyka Nera. It has been recently planted in Alsos Neas Smyrnis, which is a large park that attracts many visitors.
Biomes Temperate
Countries and regions
Area of origin Central & E. U.S.A. to Central America.
Countries and regions in the area of origin (POWO Database):
Alabama, Arkansas, Belize, Connecticut, El Salvador, Florida, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, Missouri, Nicaragua, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia
Global Distribution (Introduced)
AMERICAS: USA (state of New York).
EUROPE: Belgium, Italy, Spain
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories (GUTI Database)
One of the most common urban trees worldwide. In 169 inventories.
OCEANIA: Australia, New Zealand.
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil, Canada (Montreal, Quebec city, Toronto, Vancouver), Chile (Santiago), Colombia (Bogotá), Mexico
USA: Arlington, Augusta, Austin, Berkeley, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Columbus, Delaware, Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, Newport, Oklahoma city, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, Spokane, Tampa, Washington).
EUROPE: Austria (Vienna), Belgium, Croatia (Zagreb), Denmark (Copenhagen), France (Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Paris), Germany (Frankfurt, Hamburg), Hungary (Budapest), Ireland, Italy (Bologna, Florence, Pavia, Turin), Netherlands, Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Cáceres, Santa Cruz, Valencia), UK (Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, London), Sweden (Malmö), Switzerland (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich).
AFRICA: South Africa (Pretoria)
ASIA: Japan (Tokyo), Turkey (Trabzon).
Literature references There are references on the prospect of the genus Liquidambar for the urban climate of the future. In particular regarding the species L. styraciflua as it is better known than the other members of the genus. (Sjöman and Anderson 2023)
Cascabela thevetia
Apocynaceae
Distribution in Athens In the coastal borough of Palaio Faliro and the boroughs of Zografou, Ilioupoli and Dafni-Hymettos (mostly private gardens). Extremely rare. However its presence is documented in the Aegean islands (POWO database).
Biomes seasonally dry tropical
Countries and regions (POWO Database)
Area of origin Mexico to South Tropical America.
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northeast, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Global Distribution (Introduced) East Aegean Is., Canary Is., Italy, Angola, Assam, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Cambodia, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, Cook Is., Fiji, Cuba, USA, Dominican Republic, (Florida, Hawaii), Gambia, Gulf of Guinea Is., Gulf States, Hainan, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Nepal, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Senegal, Society Is., Taiwan, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Vanuatu, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Cities worldwide (GUTI Database)
Tree inventories In 41 inventories around the world. Mostly in S. and C. America and Africa:
OCEANIA: Australia (Sydney)
AMERICAS: Brasil (Assis, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza ), Panama (Bella Vista, Betania), Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero), Costa Rica (San Jose), Panama (Calidonia, San Francisco), Peru (Piura), USA (Claremont CA, Pasadena CA, San Diego CA, Santa Monica CA, Honolulu HI), Colombia (Leticia, Medellin, Pereira), Nicaragua (León), Mexico (Linares, Merida, Morelia), Venezuela (Maracaibo).
EUROPE: Spain (Santa Cruz de Tenerife).
ASIA: Turkey (Antalya), Palestine (Gaza), Israel (Tel Aviv), India (Bangalore, New Delhi), China (Hong Kong)
AFRICA: Morocco (Casablanca), Nigeria (Ibadan), Rwanda (Kigali), Togo (Atakpamé, Kpalimé, Lomé), Kenya (Nairobi), Botswana (Gabarone).
Literature references It is noted for its drought tolerance
Tecoma stans
Bignoniaceae
Distribution in Athens Very rare. In the southern borough of Elliniko - Argyroupoli.
Biomes wet tropical
Area of origin Tropical and Subtropical America.
Countries and regions (POWO Database)
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arizona, Bahamas, Bolivia, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, New Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Global Distribution (Introduced) Andaman Is., Ascension, Bangladesh, Spain, Canary Islands, Tunisia, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Cape Provinces, Caroline Is., Chad, India, Pakistan, West Himalaya, Christmas I., Comoros, Cook Is., Gilbert Is., Guinea, USA (Hawaii), KwaZulu-Natal, Line Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Mauritania, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Nicobar Is., Northern Provinces, St.Helena, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu,
Cities worldwide (GUTI Database)
Tree inventories In 53 inventories around the world. :
OCEANIA: Australia (Burnside, Manningham, Mildura, Nedlands, Parramatta)
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero), Brazil (Alagoinha, Assis, Bahia, Bauru, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Goiandira, Jacarei, Jatai, Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Maria, Vicosa), Colombia (Bogotá, Ibague City, Leticia, Manizales, Medellin, Pereira) Costa Rica, Mexico (Merida), Nicaragua (León), Panama (Betania, Calidonia, San Francisco, Santa Ana), Peru (Lima, Piura), Colombia, Costa Rica (San Jose), USA (Cape Coral FL, San Diego CA, Santa Monica CA).
EUROPE: Spain (Barcelona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
ASIA: Palestine (Gaza), Israel (Tel Aviv), United Arab Emirates (Al Ain), China (Hong Kong).
AFRICA: Morocco (Casablanca), Botswana (Gabarone), Kenya (Nairobi), Nigeria (Ibadan), Togo (Atakpamé, Kpalimé, Lomé).
Literature references It is widespread in the Indian subcontinent.
Brurgmansia spp
Solanaceae
Distribution in Athens The species of this genus are generally used as shrubs in gardens. However occurrences of B. aurea was recorded as a small tree with a single-stem trunk in a street in the borough of Glyfada.
Biomes Temperate
Countries and regions
Area of origin South Tropical America.
Countries and regions in the area of origin (POWO Database):
Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Chile North, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
Global Distribution (Introduced)
Argentina Northeast, Ascension, Assam, Azores, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Borneo, Cameroon, Canary Is., Chatham Is., Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, East Himalaya, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, Gabon, Galápagos, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Haiti, Hawaii, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Juan Fernández Is., Kenya, Kermadec Is., Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Madeira, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mexico Central, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Morocco, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Norfolk Is., Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, St.Helena, Tanzania, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Himalaya
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories (GUTI Database)
Three of the seven species of the genus are recorded in a few urban tree inventories. Mostly in South America where they are native.
Brugmansia arborea
OCEANIA: Australia (Waverley).
AMERICAS: Argentina (Santiago del Estero), Colombia (Medellin), Peru (Lima, Cusco).
Brugmansia suaveolens
OCEANIA: Australia (Hobson Bay)
AMERICAS: USA (Tampa)
EUROPE: Portugal (Lisbon)
AFRICA: Zimbabwe (Harare)
Brugmansia versicolor
AMERICAS: USA (San Diego, San Francisco)
Duranta erecta
Verbenaceae
Distribution in Athens It is a shrub more frequently found in older garden or park plantings. Very rarely as a small tree. In the borough of the City of Athens.
Biomes It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.
Countries and regions
Area of origin South Florida to Caribbean, Mexico to North America.
Countries in the area of origin Bahamas, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Florida, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
Global Distribution (Introduced)
Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Arizona, Assam, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil Northeast, Brazil West-Central, Burundi, California, Cambodia, Caroline Is., Central African Republic, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, DR Congo, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Galápagos, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, India, Kenya, Louisiana, Madagascar, Malawi, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mozambique, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Norfolk Is., Paraguay, Peru, Sicilia, Society Is., St.Helena, Sudan-South Sudan, Sulawesi, Taiwan, Texas, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Wake I., West Himalaya, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories
It is present in 36 urban tree inventories.
OCEANIA: Australia (Brimbank, Burnside, Hobson Bay, Nedlands, Parramatta, Penrith, South Perth, Sydney).
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero), Brazil (Cafeara, Fortaleza, Jatai, Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre, Vicosa), Nicaragua (León), Costa Rica (San Jose), Colombia (Ibague City, Medellin, Pereira), USA (San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica).
EUROPE: Spain (Barcelona).
AFRICA: Ghana (Kumasi), Kenya (Nairobi), Niger (Niamey), Nigeria (Ibadan, Uyo).
ASIA: China (Chengdu, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Kunming), Palestine (Gaza).
Erythrostemon gilliesii
Fabaceae
Distribution in Athens It seems to self propagate. It is found in various locations, though probably not intentionally planted. Occurrences have been observed at Alsos Neas Filadelfias and the borough of Haidari (Dasos Haidariou).
Biomes It grows primarily in the temperate biome.
Countries and regions
Area of origin N. Central Chile to Uruguay.
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile North, Uruguay.
Global Distribution (Introduced) Afghanistan, Angola, Arizona, Arkansas, Bulgaria, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, East Aegean Is., Ethiopia, Free State, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kenya, Libya, Madeira, Mexico Northwest, Mozambique, Namibia, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Provinces, Oklahoma, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Sicilia, Spain, Tanzania, Texas, Transcaucasus, Turkmenistan, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories
AMERICAS:
EUROPE:
ASIA:
AFRICA:
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Gleditsia triacanthos
Fabaceae
Distribution in Athens It has a fair presence in some boroughs of Athens: Glyfada, Zografou, Kifissia. It has been noted to self propagate and expand at the NTUA campus park.
Biomes temperate
Countries and regions
Area of origin Brazil to NE. Argentina.
Countries in the area of origin Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Krym, North Caucasus, Portugal, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Transcaucasus, Ukraine,
ASIA: India, Iraq, China Southeast, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan ,Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Tadzhikistan.
AFRICA: Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, New South Wales, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
AMERICAS: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Canada (Nova Scotia, Ontario), Mexico Southwest, Uruguay, USA (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Washington)
OCEANIA: South Australia, Australia (Queensland, Victoria)
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories With Gingko biloba, the most common species in urban tree inventories worldwide. In 217 cities.
OCEANIA: Australia, New Zealand
AMERICAS: Argentina, Canada, Ecuador, USA
EUROPE: Austria (Vienna), Belgium, Croatia (Zagreb), Belgium, Denmark, France (Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Paris), Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (Florence), Netherlands, Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Valencia), UK (London), Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
AFRICA: South Africa, Morocco,
ASIA = Turkey, Israel (Tel Aviv), Georgia (Tbilisi), Iran (Tehran).
Performance It appears to perform well and withstand urban heat.
Literature references There are many references on the prospect of this species for the urban climate of the future. (ARDEM project), (Maribel et al. 2024), (Darricau 2022), (Ferrini 2023), (Sjöman and Anderson 2023).
Persea americana
Lauraceae
Distribution in Athens It is found in some private gardens in the boroughs of the city of Athens and Palaio Faliro.
Biomes seasonally dry tropical biome.
Countries and regions
Area of origin Central Mexico to Costa Rica.
Countries in the area of origin Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Cyprus.
ASIA: Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Laos, Taiwan, Vietnam
AFRICA: Burkina, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Congo, Gambia, Kenya, Sudan-South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues.
AMERICAS: Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Bolivia, Cayman Is., Central American Pacific Is., Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Easter Is., Ecuador, El Salvador, Galápagos, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Trinidad-Tobago, USA (Florida, Hawaii, New York), Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.
OCEANIA: Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, New Zealand North, Pitcairn Is., Society Is., Solomon Is., Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu.
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories In 81 inventories around the world.
OCEANIA: Australia (Banyule, Brimbank, Burnside, Campbelltown, Darebin, Fremantle, Gold Coast, Knox, Manningham, Marrickville, Moreland, Nedlands, Parramatta, Perth, Port Phillip, Stirling, Stonnington, Subiaco, Sydney).
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Puerto Iguazú, Santiago del Estero ), Brazil (Bahia, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba - Paraná, Guarapuava, Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Maria ), Colombia (Bogotá, Ibague City, Leticia, Manizales, Medellin, Pereira, Valle del Cauca-Norte del Valle), Costa Rica (San Jose), Mexico (Merida, Mexico City, Morelia), Nicaragua (León), Panama (Bella Vista, Betania, Calidonia, San Francisco), Peru (Lima, Piura), Puerto Rico (San Juan).
USA: Alameda County, Berkeley, Claremont, East Palo Alto, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Oakland, Palo Alto, Pasadena, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Tampa.
EUROPE: France (Bordeaux), Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Costa Brava, Santa Cruz, Valencia).
AFRICA: Nigeria (Ado Etiki, Uyo), Togo (Atakpamé, Kpalimé, Lomé), Zimbabwe (Harare), Nigeria (Ibadan), Rwanda (Kigali), Ghana (Kumasi).
ASIA: China (Hong Kong), Singapore (Singapore), Israel (Tel Aviv).
Performance It appears to perform very well, although in protected locations and well maintained gardens.
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Schinus terebinthifolia
Anacardiaceae
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Distribution in Athens It has been used as rows or groups in recent plantings for park and plaza renovations in Greece: Nimfon Square in the suburb of Vouliagmeni, Dilaveri coast in the city of Piraeus, Platia Iroon in the borough Dafni - Hymettos, in the commercial Smart Park (Spata, Attica), the city of Aliveri in the island of Evia.
Also a few trees have been recorded in streets in the borough of Kifissia and Irakleio (Attica).
Biomes dry tropical
Countries and regions (POWO Database)
Area of origin Brazil to NE. Argentina.
Countries and regions in the area of origin Argentina Northeast, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Paraguay
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Canary Is., Madeira, Portugal, Spain.
ASIA: Ogasawara-shoto, Palestine, Vietnam
AFRICA: Algeria, Angola, Ascension, Benin, Botswana, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Guinea, KwaZulu-Natal, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, St.Helena, Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Northern Provinces, Libya,
AMERICAS: Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala Puerto Rico, Mexico Northwest, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., USA (Alabama, California, Florida, Texas, Hawaii), Venezuelan Antilles.
OCEANIA: South Australia, Western Australia, Marianas, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, New South Wales, Norfolk Island, Queensland, Samoa, Victoria.
Cities worldwide (GUTI Database)
Tree inventories In 57 inventories around the world.
OCEANIA: Australia (Fremantle, Gold Coast, Greater Bendigo, Knox, Melbourne, Nedlands, Parramatta, Perth, Shepparton, South Perth, Stirling, Stonnington, Subiaco)
AMERICAS: Brazil (Bahia, Bauru, Belo Horizonte, Cafeara, Curitiba, Paraná, Guarapuava, Jacarei, Não-Me-Toque, Paraiba, Ponta Grossa, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Maria), Mexico (Morelia), Peru (Piura), Colombia (Bogotá, Manizales, Medellin, Pereira) USA (Berkeley, Claremont, Honolulu, Las Vegas-Clark County, Palo Alto, Pasadena, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Tampa)
EUROPE: Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
ASIA: Palestine (Gaza), Israel (Tel Aviv, Karmiel), Singapore (Singapore)
AFRICA: Morocco (Casablanca), Kenya (Nairobi), South Africa (Grahamstown, Port Alfred, Somerset East, Somerset East), Zimbabwe (Harare).
Performance It appears to perform well and withstand urban heat.
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Fabaceae
Distribution in Athens It is not an uncommon tree species in some boroughs of Athens. The site of the tree rows leading up to Zappeio Megaro is one of the most majestic landscapes in the center of Athens. However in most boroughs it is underutilized or absent. In the boroughs of city of Athens, Agios Dimitrios, Ilioupoli, Dafni-Hymettos, Kifissia.
Biomes Subtropical
Countries and regions
Area of origin Bolivia to NW. Argentina.
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Paraguay
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Canary Is., East Aegean Is., Madeira, Spain.
ASIA: Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central.
AFRICA: Eswatini, Gambon, Gambia, South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Provinces), Tunisia.
AMERICAS: Argentina Northeast, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Juan Fernández Is., Haiti, Leeward Islands, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, TUSA (Hawaii), Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Islands.
OCEANIA: Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia), Marshall Islands.
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories In 112 inventories around the world.
OCEANIA: Australia.
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, USA (Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Oakland, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa).
EUROPE: France (Bordeaux), Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Costa Brava, Valencia)
ASIA: China, India, Israel (Tel Aviv), Palestine (Gaza).
AFRICA: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo.
Performance It appears to perform well and withstand urban heat. It a species that is promoted in the new plantings of the city of Athens.
Literature references SelecTree for Southern California's Future Climate (2024).
Acer negundo
Sapindaceae
Distribution in Athens It is not an uncommon tree species in some boroughs of Athens. However in most boroughs it is underutilized or absent. In the boroughs of city of Athens, Agios Dimitrios, Aigaleo, Dafni-Hymettos, Gerakas, Haidari, Papagou-Cholargos, Palaion Faliron, Petroupoli, Kifissia, Nea Smyrni, Zografou. A few trees at the NTUA campus.
Biomes Temperate
Countries and regions
Area of origin N. America to Honduras.
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Paraguay
Global Distribution (Introduced)
EUROPE: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czechia-Slovakia, East European Russia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sicilia, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Türkey-in-Europe, Ukraine.
ASIA: Altay, Amur, Buryatiya, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Inner Mongolia, Iraq, Kamchatka, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk, Korea, Magadan, Primorye, Sakhalin, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, West Himalaya, West Siberia.
AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia.
AMERICAS: Argentina Northeast, Bolivia.
OCEANIA: New Zealand.
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories One of the most common urban trees worldwide, along with Gingko biloba and Gleditsia triacanthos. In 207 inventories.
OCEANIA: Australia, New Zealand.
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires), Brazil, Canada (Montreal, Quebec city, Toronto, Vancouver), Chile, Mexico, USA: Arlington, Athens, Berkeley, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Delaware, Denver, Ithaca, Kansas city, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Oklahoma city, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa).
EUROPE: Austria (Vienna), Croatia (Zagreb), Denmark, Finland (Helsinki), France (Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Paris), Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg), Greece (Arta, Ioannina, Preveza), Hungary (Budapest), Ireland, Italy (Bologna, Florence, Turin), Netherlands, Norway (Oslo), Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Barcelona, Costa Brava, Valencia), UK (Birmingham, Bristol, London), Slovakia (Bratislava), Sweden (Malmö), Switzerland (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich), Ukraine.
AFRICA: South Africa (Johannesburg)
ASIA: China, Turkey (Antalya, Trabzon), Georgia (Tbilisi).
Performance It appears to perform well and withstand urban heat and narrow sidewalks. It is utilized in new plantings of some boroughs of Athens (city of Athens, Lykovrysi-Pefki).
Literature references Maribel et al., (2024), Sjöman and Anderson (2023).
Callianthe picta
syn. Abutilon pictum
Malvaceae
Distribution in Athens It is a species used rarely as a shrub in the urban green spaces. It can be found as a small tree in streets and private gardens in the boroughs of Athens and Dafni-Hymettos.
Biomes Subtropical
Area of origin S. Brazil to NE. Argentina.
Tree inventories Only in tree inventories of Brazil.
Feijoa sellowiana
syn. Acca sellowiana
Distribution in Athens It is used as a shrub in gardens and in parks. Rarely it can be found as a small tree. Occurrence in the suburb of Spata (Smart Park).
Biomes Subtropical
Countries and regions
Area of origin Brazil (S. Minas Gerais) to Argentina (Misiones).
Countries in the area of origin Argentina Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Uruguay
Global Distribution (Introduced)
AMERICAS: Colombia, Costa Rica, Juan Fernández Islands
AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
OCEANIA: New Zealand North, New Zealand South.
Cities worldwide
Tree inventories It is present in 48 tree inventories.
OCEANIA: Australia (Albury, Banyule, Brimbank, Burnside, Campbelltown, Corangamite Shire, Darebin, Greater Bendigo, Hobson Bay, Knox, Launceston, Manningham, Marrickville, Melbourne, Moreland, Nedlands, Parramatta, Port Phillip, Shepparton, South Grampians Shire, Stonnington, Willoughby, Wyndham.
AMERICAS: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero), Colombia (Bogotá, Manizales, Medellin), USA: Alameda County, Berkeley, Claremont, New Orleans, Oakland, Palo Alto, Pasadena, San Francisco, Santa Monica).
EUROPE: France (Bordeaux, Paris), Italy (Florence), Portugal (Lisbon), Spain (Costa Brava, Valencia).
AFRICA: Kenya (Nairobi).
ASIA: Israel (Tel Aviv).
REFERENCES
PROJECTS
ARDEM PROJECT, INRAE
Ducatillion Catherine and Delorme, Sarah. 2022. ARbres de Demain En Méditerranée (ARDEM) projet brochure. Villa de Thuret, INRAE. 2022.
https://jardin-thuret.hub.inrae.fr/content/download/6148/49641?version=1
INRAE. |Rédaction by Rose-marie Bugeaud. “Arbres de demain - Fiches espèces.” Jardin Botanique Villa Thuret. Created on December 23, 2022. Modified on March 25, 2024.
https://jardin-thuret.hub.inrae.fr/actualites/presentation-des-fiches-especes
UFEI, Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute. California State Polytechnic University.
Best Trees for Southern California’s Climate Future. Select Tree, a Tree Selection Guide. Updated 2024.
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/list/67 (BEST LARGE TREES FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S CLIMATE FUTURE)
https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/741 (Jacaranda mimosifolia)
PAPERS
Maribel Carol-Aristizabal, Jérôme Dupras, Christian Messier, Rita Sousa-Silva. 2024.
“Which Tree Species Best Withstand Urban Stressors? Ask the Experts”.
Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) Jan 2024, 50 (1) 57-75.
https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2023.026
BOOKS
Darricau, Yves. 2022
Des arbres pour le futur : mémento du planteur pour 2050
Arles: Editions du Rouergue
Sjöman, Henrik, and Anderson, Arit 2023.
The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits.
London: Filbert Press
ARTICLES
Ferrini, Francesco. 2023. “The right tree in the right place.” Interview by Maurizio Lapponi.
FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL. International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH). October 1, 2023.
https://aiph.org/floraculture/news/the-right-tree-in-the-right-place/
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