Mountain Mahogany, Curl-leaf mountain mahogany
Cercocarpus ledifolius
Family: Rosaceae
What it is like
Cercocarpus ledifolius is an evergreen Tree growing to 8 m (26ft 3in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 8
Where it is found
Dry gravelly arid slopes in the mountain ranges of the interior regions, 1500 - 2700 metres.
Western N. America - Washington to California, west to Wyoming, Arizona and New Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
The scraped bark makes a flavourful addition to a brew of Mormon tea (Ephedra spp.).
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 2
Mountain mahogany was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints. It is virtually not used in modern herbalism. The bark is antihaemorrhagic, cardiac, stomachic and tonic. A decoction has been used in the treatment of coughs and colds, pneumonia, spitting up of blood, stomach aches, diarrhoea (including for children), tuberculosis and VD. A poultice of the green powdered wood has been applied to sores, cuts, wounds and burns. It has also been sprinkled on syphilitic sores. An exudation from the plant has been dried, ground into a powder and applied to the ear to treat earaches.
Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.
Haemostatic: Controls internal bleeding.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
TB: Plants used in the treatment of tuberculosis
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
VD: Used in the treatment of venereal disease
Other
Rating: 2
A red dye is obtained from the inner bark. The wood is extremely hard and so dense that it will not float in water. It is also brittle. It makes an excellent fuel, giving off intense heat whilst burning for a long time. It is occasionally used in the manufacture of small articles for domestic and industrial use.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
Requires a position in full sun in a perfectly draining soil. Succeeds in dry soils. Tolerates maritime exposure. Some forms of this species are hardy to about -17°c. A slow-growing tree or large shrub, it is not a true evergreen, but its leaves persist over winter and do not fall until after the new leaves are growing. Some members of this genus have a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Sunny Edge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist