Mountain Mahogany – Plant

LATIN NAME
Cercocarpus montamus

LONGEVITY
Perennial

SEASON
Cool

ORIGIN
Native

DETAILS:

• Other common names, “True mountain mahogany,” “Birch-leaf mountain mahogany,” and “Alderleaf mountain mahogany.”
• Growth form is a deciduous shrub or small tree up to 12 feet tall.
• Flowers May to June, and the fruits mature from July to September.
• The seed is tipped with a persistent long feathery tail.
• Seed production is sporadic, going as long as 10 years with no seed production.
• This plant is good to excellent forage for cattle, sheep, and goats.
• It is extremely valuable as winter browse for deer; the twigs are palatable yearlong.
• Hopi Indians used the bark to make a reddish-brown dye for leather.
• Adapted to rocky bluffs, mountainsides, breaks, and in canyons at elevations of 5,000 to 7,000 feet.

QUALITY TRAITS