''Cercocarpus'', commonly known as mountain mahogany, is a small genus of at least nine species of

nitrogen-fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen () is converted into ammonia (). It occurs both biologically and abiological nitrogen fixation, abiologically in chemical industry, chemical industries. Biological nitrogen ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the rose family,

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

. They are native to the western

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, where they grow in

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...

and

semidesert A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s and climates, often at high altitudes. Several are found in the

California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

. The classification of ''Cercocarpus'' within the Rosaceae has been unclear. The genus has been placed in the subfamily

Rosoideae The rose subfamily Rosoideae consists of more than 850 species, including many shrubs, perennial herbs, and fruit plants such as strawberries and brambles. Only a few are annual herbs. The circumscription of the Rosoideae is still not wholly ce ...

, but is now placed in subfamily

Dryadoideae The subfamily Dryadoideae consists of four genera in the family Rosaceae,. all of which contain representative species with root nodules that host the nitrogen-fixing bacterium ''Frankia''. They are subshrubs, shrubs, or small trees with a base ...

. Members of the genus are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s, typically reaching heights of 3–6 m (9–18 ft) tall, but exceptionally up to 13 m (40 ft) high. '' C. montanus'' usually remains under 1 m (3 ft) high because of incessant grazing by

elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. ...

and

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. The name is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words κέρκος (''kerkos''), meaning "tail" and καρπός (''karpos''), meaning "fruit". It refers to the tail-like plume on the fruits.

Taxonomy

Species

''Cercocarpus'' comprises the following species: * ''

Cercocarpus betuloides ''Cercocarpus betuloides'' is a shrub or small tree in the rose family.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170 Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany The common name "m ...

'' Nutt. – birch-leaf mountain mahogany ** var. ''betuloides'' Nutt. ** var. ''blancheae'' (C.K. Schneid.) Little – island mountain mahogany ** var. ''traskiae'' (Eastw.) Dunkle – Catalina Island mountain mahogany * ''

Cercocarpus breviflorus ''Cercocarpus breviflorus'', commonly known as desert mountain mahogany or hairy mountain mahogany, is a species of plant in the rose family, native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Description ''Cercocarpus breviflorus'' ...

'' A. Gray – hairy mountain mahogany * ''

Cercocarpus douglasii ''Cercocarpus douglasii'', common name Klamath mountain mahogany, is a plant species native to northern California and southwestern Oregon. ''Cercocarpus douglasii'' is a tree up to 5 meters (17 feet) tall with rough, gray bark. Leaves are obl ...

'' Rydb. * ''

Cercocarpus fothergilloides ''Cercocarpus fothergilloides'' is a Mexican plant species in the rose family. It is widely distributed in northern and eastern Mexico, from Tamaulipas and Coahuila south as far as Oaxaca. Description ''Cercocarpus fothergilloides'' is a shrub ...

'' Kunth ** var. ''fothergilloides'' Kunth ** var. ''mojadensis'' (C.K. Schneid.) Henrickson * ''

Cercocarpus intricatus ''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' var. ''intricatus'' (little-leaf mountain mahogany, narrowleaf mahogany,Canyon Country Wildflowers, Damian Fagan, 2nd ed., 2012, Morris Bush Publishing, LLC. in cooperation with Canyonlands Natural History Association, ...

'' S.Watson * ''

Cercocarpus ledifolius ''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' is a North American species of mountain mahogany known by the common name curl-leaf mountain mahogany. Description ''Cercocarpus ledifolius'' is a large, densely branching tree which can reach heights of , although it ...

'' Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray – curl-leaf mountain mahogany * ''

Cercocarpus macrophyllus ''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 ...

'' C.K.Schneid. * ''

Cercocarpus mexicanus ''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 ...

'' Henrard * '' Cercocarpus mojadensis'' C.K.Schneid. * ''

Cercocarpus montanus ''Cercocarpus montanus'' is a North American species of shrub or small tree in the family Rosaceae native to northern Mexico and the western United States. It is known by the common names alder-leaf mountain-mahogany, alder-leaf cercocarpus, and ...

'' Raf. ** var. ''argenteus'' (Rydb.) F.L.Martin – silver mountain mahogany ** var. ''glaber'' (S.Watson) F.L.Martin ** var. ''macrourus'' (Rydb.) F.L.Martin ** var. ''minutiflorus'' (Abrams) F.L.Martin – smooth mountain mahogany ** var. ''montanus'' Raf. – alder-leaf mountain mahogany ** var. ''paucidentatus'' (S.Watson) F.L.Martin * '' Cercocarpus pringlei'' (C.K.Schneid.) Rydb. * '' Cercocarpus rotundifolius'' Rydb. * '' Cercocarpus rzedowskii'' Henrard

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species and hybrids is unresolved: * ''Cercocarpus antiquus'' Lesq. * ''Cercocarpus arizonicus'' M.E.Jones * ''Cercocarpus betulaefolius'' C.K.Schneid. * ''Cercocarpus betulaefolius'' Nutt. ex Hook. * ''Cercocarpus breviflorus'' S.Watson * ''Cercocarpus cuneatus'' Dorf * ''Cercocarpus fothergilloides'' Torr. * ''Cercocarpus harneyensis'' C.A.Arnold * ''Cercocarpus macrophyllus'' C.K.Schneid. * ''Cercocarpus miniscalchii'' (A.Massal.) Principi * ''Cercocarpus orestesi'' Knowlt. * ''Cercocarpus pallidus'' Wooton * ''Cercocarpus parviflorus'' Wooton * ''Cercocarpus parvifolius'' Nutt. ex Hook. & Arn. * ''Cercocarpus praefoliolosa'' R.W.Br. * ''Cercocarpus praeledifolius'' E.W.Berry * ''Cercocarpus ravenscragensis'' E.W.Berry * ''Cercocarpus treleasei'' C.K.Schneid.

References

External links

* *
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Cercocarpus''
{{Authority control Rosaceae genera