Cercocarpus minutiflorus

Smooth mountain mahogany

Family: Rosaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Smooth mountain mahogany is a California native shrub found in the Peninsular Range in Riverside and San Diego counties, growing in chaparral habitats at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small white to cream-colored flowers in clusters of 2 to 10 blooms. Growing as a shrub 1 to 6 meters tall with an upright, somewhat branching form, it develops a sturdy woody structure. Its leaves are widely obovate, thin, and slightly serrated, measuring 1 to 2.5 centimeters long with 3 to 6 lateral veins and glabrous undersides. The fruit is an elongated structure 8 to 12 millimeters long, topped by a distinctive feathery style extending 4.5 to 6 centimeters.

Habitat: Chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: PR (Riverside, San Diego cos.)

California counties: San Diego, Riverside, Orange, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Alpine

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