I will add: Camphor Tree, if you have enough space, the roots can be expansive. The leaves smell aromatic. This can be a big tree and should not be planted too close to the house or sidewalks. Pepper Tree Spanish Cork Oak, they are drought tolerant and don't get too big, and have amazing squishy bark, this is where cork stoppers on wine bottles come from. Pomegranate grows exceptionally well in this climate. Even if you don't like eating them the fruits can be very decorative hanging from the tree, and the tree also produces pretty fiery orange blossoms. Pomegranate usually grows more like a giant bush-tree though, not really the best for shade. A lot of people have never tried a truly fresh pomegranate right off the tree, they taste much much better when really fresh. And a lot of people do not know the proper technique for cutting open a pomegranate and removing the arils, so they wrongly think eating pomegranate is too much work and too messy. When it comes to Mulberry trees, Persian Black is by far the best tasting variety. However, if you're in climate zone 10 Pakistan Mulberry will grow better and is also a good tasting variety, with larger fruit size too. If you go with a fruitless male Mulberry (as some people do to avoid all the messy berries falling), there could be pollen allergy issues (if not you, someone else in the neighborhood). The Black varieties are the best tasting, but the black berries can make a mess on the ground and stain the sidewalk, or get tracked indoors on your shoes on the carpet, so that's something that should be considered. Another little fact, mulberry leaves are not poisonous and can be fed to pigs or goats, a favorite food of silkworms too. Mulberry trees have beautiful shade foliage. If you're looking for some more exotic choices you might also see this thread: Sacred trees in India

I love my Surinam Powderpuff (Calliandra surinamensis) - had 2 at my last house (Encinitas) and planted 3 more at my new house (Vista). They are in bloom virtually every day of the year, they are nicely evergreen with a lacy canopy, the buds look like raspberries, and the new foliage has a lovely bronze color. Moderate water, and I've never had problems with any pests or self-seeding. You can read about both trees in "Ornamental Trees for Mediterranean Climates," published by the San Diego Horticultural Society. Here is a link that might be useful: San Diego Horticultural Society

I'm coastal So CA and same zone as you. I have a Gold Medallion (Cassia Leptophylla; http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/gold-medallion-tree/) in my parkway strip and one in my front yard. It loses its leaves for about a month each year, so it looks a little bleak right now, but soon we'll be treated with beautiful fern-like leaves and yellow flowers that last and last and last. A real show-stopper tree, and very well behaved. Leaves and open structure create only dappled shade, and our 7-yr-old trees are only 15-20 feet tall. A 15-gal specimen shouldn't set you back too much $$. We got ours from Plant Depot in San Juan Cap but Armstrong carries them also, I think.

Gyr_falcon, if you live in LA you can go see them, they are planted in the Upper Lot # 2 at Griffith Park near the merry go round. They aren't blooming now though. I may be confused. It is the flowers wcgypsy posted (rehmannia) that look like the ones on these trees ... so, it may not be the same tree. But, I imagegoogled handroanthus imp... and that *could* be it. I can't tell for sure. And these trees may also get those pods, but I really only pay attention to the flowers so I'm not sure. It could be the same though. At any rate, there *is* a tree that grows flowers that look like rehmannia, which are lovely pink, and which smell like vanilla. Quite marvelous. Nature!