Scientific Name: Cercocarpus montanus
Common Name: Mountain Mahogany
Family: Rosaceae or Rose Family
Duration: Perennial
Size: Up to 15 feet or so
Growth Form: shrub, tree; form is erect to spreading multiple branches; occasionally evergreen
Flower Color: Yellowish sepals, without petals; flowers solitary or in small clusters; flowers perfect; numerous stamens; 1 pistil; fruit with long, persistent, plumose style exserted (project beyond/pushed out); flowers wind pollinated.
Flowering Season: April to June in Arizona
Comments: Cercocarpus montanus as with other members of Rosaceae in Arizona provides excellent browse for deer, sheep and livestock. It is a hardy species with the ability to withstand many common hazards including heavy browsing, lack of rainfall, fire. This species is beneficial species to a host of western American indigenous peoples.
