My digital camera ran out of juice just before I was going to snap a picture of the 2 fascinating trees alongside the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto where I went for a conference this week. See if anyone recognizes from the description. Sorry, not a botanist.

Small, almost shrub-size tree about 7-8 feet tall; shaped like an umbrella (may have been result of trimming). Peeking from the lower branches were red "puffs" of many thin red threads, about an inch long, which were emerging from little brackets along a short stretch of the stem. These threads quickly fell off of the "blossom" that I picked. The tree had gnarled, twisted and intertwined limbs; the trunk had "flaky" bark. The short branches tended to hang downward, with slender, smooth-edged single leaves with a vein running down the middle and a slightly sharp point on the end. The leaves (2-3 inches long) were alternating and reminded me of willow leaves, although much shorter than weeping willow.

The red "puffs" of threads (which might have been part of flowers but were more likely seed-disseminators) made this tree very exotic-looking. I've searched photo banks of California trees without seeing anything like this, so it might not be native.

I'm on a mission now to find out what this was. The folks at the hotel didn't know. Any help appreciated, expecially if you can point me to a picture. I know the likelihood this would ever grow in Georgia, where I am now, is small, but I'd still like to know.