Cercocarpus ledifolius

Curl-leaf mountain-mahogany

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Curl-leaf mountain-mahogany is a California native shrub found in rocky, dry montane regions of the Sierra Nevada and Transverse Ranges at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces small white to cream flowers in compact clusters. Growing with stiff, gnarled branches 1 to 3 meters tall, it forms dense, wind-sculpted thickets with a distinctive twisted appearance. Its leathery leaves are narrow and linear, typically 1 to 3 centimeters long, with a deep green color and smooth margins that curl slightly at the edges. The fruit is a feathery, elongated plume 6 to 11 millimeters long that adds winter interest to its rugged landscape.

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Mono, Inyo, Modoc, Siskiyou, Ventura, Trinity, Shasta, Alpine, Kern, Tulare, Riverside, Plumas, Lassen, Mariposa, Glenn, Sierra, Lake, Mendocino, Tuolumne, Nevada, Santa Barbara, Humboldt, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, El Dorado

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.