Cercocarpus montanus
A drought- and heat-tolerant Rocky Mountain shrub with feathery seed plumes and white-to-pale-pink spring blossoms, long-lived and semi-evergreen, native to the western United States and Mexico, providing wildlife habitat and typically top-killed by fire but rapidly recolonizing via root crown and rhizome sprouts with low seed survival and rare early postfire seedling establishment.
Common Names
Mountain Mahogany, Alderleaf Mountain Mahogany, Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany, True Mountain Mahogany
Summary
Alderleaf mountain mahogany is a native western United States shrub or small tree, usually multi-stemmed, with simple alternate leaves and smooth gray-brown bark. Flowers are small, cream to pinkish, solitary or in axillary clusters, lacking petals, and fruits are wind-dispersed with long feathery tails, producing distinctive seed plumes.
Prefers full sun and well-drained soils; drought-tolerant once established; useful for erosion control on slopes, hedges, windbreaks, or ornamental plantings. Propagation by seed sown in autumn or late winter and by half-ripe cuttings in midsummer.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-20 feet
Spread
4-6 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-10
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun. Tolerates partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Soil pH
pH 5-8
Bloom Color
Cream to pinkish
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Dark green, darker on the upper surface and paler, sometimes silvery-gray, beneath.
Fall Foliage Color
Red/Burgundy, Russet, Tan to brown
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Slow
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds and Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Bees: yes, Butterflies: yes, Birds: yes
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Raf.
- Publication
- Atlantic J. 1: 146 (1832)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Rosales
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Cercocarpus
Synonyms
Cercocarpus flabellifolius Cercocarpus montanus var. minutiflorus Cercocarpus montanus var. montanus Cercocarpus montanus var. flabellifolius Cercocarpus parvifolius var. breviflorus Cercocarpus parvifolius var. hirsutissimus Cercocarpus parvifolius var. typicus Cercocarpus parvifolius Cercocarpus minutiflorus Cercocarpus parvifolius var. minimus