Curl-leaf mountain mahogany - Cercocarpus ledifolius

Pronunciation: Ser-koh-kar-pus led-i-phol-ee-us

Leaf: Alternate, simple, and persistent, commonly clustered on spur shoots; small (½ - 1 inch long) and narrowly elliptical, thick and leathery with entire, revolute margins, green above and below.

Flower: Small, inconspicuous, trumpet-shaped, pubescent.

Fruit: Small achenes (½ inch) with long, twisted, plumed tails (up to 2 inches).

Twig: Reddish brown, slender and pubescent becoming smooth and gray-brown; spur shoots are common.

Bark: Reddish to grayish brown with deep, wide furrows and ridges that may break into plate-like scales.

Form: An erect, evergreen shrub to 15 feet or small tree to 40 feet.

Cercocarpus ledifolius - curlleaf mountain-mahogany Greek "kerkis" (a shuttle) and "karpon" (fruit) / Ledum (labrador tea)-like leaves

Native Plants for the Intermountain West