''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' is a North American species of

mountain mahogany ''Cercocarpus'', commonly known as mountain mahogany, is a small genus of at least nine species of nitrogen-fixing flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native to the western United States and northern Mexico, where they grow i ...

known by the common name curl-leaf mountain mahogany. It is widespread across much of the Western United States as well as

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

in Mexico.Flora of North America, ''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' Nuttall in J. Torrey and A. Gray, 1840. Curl-leaf mountain mahogany
/ref> It can be found at elevations ranging from 600 to 3,000 m (2,000 to 9,800 ft) elevation, with the preferred altitude varying depending on the region. It prefers shallow, well-drained soils with a sandy or grainy consistency, and is generally found in areas which receive low annual precipitation (15–26 cm). This makes it common on low mountains and slopes,Calflora taxon report, University of California, ''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' Nutt. Desert mountainmahogany, curl leaf mountain mahogany
/ref> where it grows in scattered groves among other drought-resistant species such as Pinyon Pines,

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

s and

Sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west. Following is an alph ...

ecosystems.

Description

''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' is a large, densely branching tree which can reach heights of 11 m (35 ft), although it is not uncommon to find the adult plant as a shrub as short as 1 m (3 ft). Its leathery, sticky, dark green leaves are up to 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long and lance-shaped, and the edges may curl under. The flower consists of a small tan tube from which protrudes a long, plumelike

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

covered in luxuriant tan hairs. The flowers are arranged in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s of up to 3. The fruit is a hairy

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

one half to just over one centimeter (0.2-0.4 inches) long.

Age

''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' is slow-growing, sometimes taking up to a century to reach full height. The oldest specimens are thought to be around 1,350 years old, although the primary specimen that yielded this estimate was cut down. This makes it one of the longest lived known flowering plants.

Ecology and uses

The leaves are eaten by deer year-round. The

Gosiute The Goshutes are a tribe of Western Shoshone Native Americans. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today: * Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, located in Nevada and Utah * Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah ...

Native Americans used the wood to make their bows. The species has many medicinal uses for various Native American groups, such as the

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...

and

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

References

External links

*
Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Cercocarpus ledifolius''ledifolius.pdf United States Department of Agriculture IITF description; ''Cercocarpus ledifolius''Ethnobotany, University of Michigan
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5063952 ledifolius Trees of the Western United States Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1840 Flora without expected TNC conservation status