Bailey & Bailey: Woody Plants of National Parks 



139 



or blunt at the tips, wedge-shaped at base; fruiting styles 2 to 3 inches long. 



(Syn. C. parvifolius Nutt.). 



Occurrence. — mesa VERDE, abundant: near park headquarters; Soda Canyon. BRYCE 

 CANYON, abundant, 7,000 to 7,500 feet: edge of rim near Bryce cafeteria; northeast 

 part of park; near checking station. ZION, abundant, 5,700 to 7,100 feet: Hoise Pasture 

 Piateau; east of Great White Throne; West Rim trail above ranger cabin; near 

 Checkerboard Mesa. GRAND CANYON, 6.000 to 8,800 feet. North Rim, common: Uncle 

 Jim Point; Point Imperial; Powell Spring. South Rim, occasional at edge of rim and 

 just below: rim trail between Shoshone and Yaki Points. Canyon, common: Hermit 

 trail; Bright Angel trail; Berry trail; Kaibab trail on Cedar Ridge near fossil fern 

 quarry; above Roaring Springs. 



3. Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cer- 



cocarpus ledtfol.us Nutt.), fig. 75. — Shrub 3 to 



10 feet high, or a small, scraggly, round-topped 



tree, sometimes 20 feet high with short, crooked 



trunk; bark grayish to brownish, thin and scaly; 



leaves I/2 to 2 inches long, thick and leathery, 



oblong, the margins inrolled, shiny dark green 



or sometimes finely fuzzy above, whitish or yel- 

 lowish below; flowers 

 small, stem'ess, with- 

 out petals, borne 

 singly or 2 to 3 aris- 

 ing from a leaf -axil; 

 fruits small, hairy 

 seeds with long, slen- 

 der, feathery tails I14 

 to 3 inches long. 



Curl-leaf mountain 

 mahogany is so-called 

 because of the leaves 

 which have the mar- 

 gins curled under 

 from the sides. In 

 this respect they re- 

 semble the leaves of 

 labrador tea (Le- 

 dum ) , which accounts 



for the specific name, ledijolius. The leaves are 

 quite stiff and leathery, but in some areas the 

 species provides important winter forage for deer 

 and elk. The wood is so hard that in an emer- 

 gency it has been possible to use it for engine 



bearings. 2" The Indians of certain regions used the stems to make their 



bows. The species occurs typically in the Great Basin area, that is, between 



the Great Western Divide and the Continental Divide. 



Fig. 74. True mountain 



mahogany (Cercocarpus 



monlainis) . 



Fig. 75. Curl-leaf mountain 



mahogany {Cercocarpus 



ledifolius) . 



27 Jepson, W. L.. Flora of California, vol. 2, p. 217. 1936. 



