Cercocarpus betuloides * Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus betuloides is one of the more recognizable native shrubs in the Chaparral. The Mountain Mahogany can grow on dry slopes or north exposures alike often in the shade of other larger shrubs but usually exposed to the sky. Cercocarpus betuloides blooms in early Spring with creamy white flowers. The fruit is a tubular feather like structure that curls out and catches light fading from pink to silver. Cercocarpus betuloides seems unphased by soil type. Mountain Mahogany can often get to 10 feet tall.