True Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus montanus

Rosaceae

• Spokane Native
• Sun-Part Sun
• Size: 8'-12’ tall x 4'-8’ wide
• Drought Tolerant: Yes
• Evergreen: Semi-evergreen
• Flower Color: Creamy white to yellowish (April-June)
• Wildlife Value: Browse for deer and elk; nesting cover; larval host for Western sheepmoth and Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak

True mountain mahogany is a native nitrogen-fixing shrub or small tree found throughout western United States. Grows on dry, rocky slopes, wooded hillsides, canyons, bluffs, and open forests. Thrives in full sun to partial shade.  Tolerates both hot/dry and cooler/shadier sites. Very drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant once established. Found on dry slopes but also adapts to variety of moisture conditions.

This slow-growing, long-lived deciduous to semi-evergreen large shrub or small tree often remains under 3 feet in wild due to incessant grazing by elk and deer. Multi-stemmed growth habit with dense, rounded, spreading form. Called "hardtack" for unique hardiness withstanding cutting, fire, drought, and heavy browsing—fully recovers after extreme stress. Foliage is dark green, almost leathery texture on top; undersides fuzzy silver (hence "silverleaf mountain mahogany"). Foliage sometimes turns russet in fall. Wood is hard, dense, strong but too short/twisted for lumber—heartwood resembles tropical mahogany (hence common name). Bark reddish-brown to gray, becoming fissured with age. Sprouts from base after fire.

Flowers are small, tubular, creamy white to yellowish, inconspicuous.  They are fragrant with pleasant almond scent. Distinctive fruit that are spectacular feathery, silvery-white, corkscrew-shaped plumes 1-3 inches long covering shrub mid-to-late summer, creating fuzzy appearance and shimmering effect when backlit. Plumes give genus name Cercocarpus from Greek "kerkos" (tail) and "karpos" (fruit). Fruits have long attractive silvery tails persisting into fall/winter—showy from May-November depending on elevation. Favorite browse for deer, elk, cattle, sheep—preferred fodder preventing optimal tree form in nature. Birds use for nesting cover. Larval host plant for Western sheepmoth and Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak butterfly. Dense branches provide excellent bird cover. Leaves eaten by certain caterpillars without noticeable damage—essential part of ecosystem providing food for birds/small mammals. Native Americans used wood for bows, spearheads, digging sticks for subterranean foods, tool handles. Bark used medicinally for colds and various ailments. 

Outstanding for sustainable water-conserving landscaping, erosion control, revegetation, and restoration projects. Nitrogen-fixing ability eliminates need for supplemental fertilizers. Can be high-headed into tree form or kept multi-stemmed shrub. Unique corkscrew plumes are a very attractive attribute. Excellent specimen plant, screening, hedges, habitat hedgerows, rock gardens, native plant borders, wildlife gardens, slopes. Important for reclamation of degraded soils. Suitable companions include other native shrubs and wildflowers adapted to dry sites.