424 



The Mountain Mahoganies 



3. FEW-FLOWERED IMOUNTAIN MAHOGANY -Cercocarpus 



breviflorus A. Gray 



This small tree or shrub is confined to the high dry mountains near our south- 

 em border in western Texas, New Mexico, and 

 eastern Arizona, extending southward into 

 Mexico. Its maximum height is 7 meters, with 

 a trunk diameter of 2 dm. 



The bark is about 3 mm. thick, slightly fis- 

 sured, and scaly; the twigs are densely hairy, 

 but soon become smooth and red-brown. The 

 leaves are thick, oblong to obovate or elHptic, 

 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, pointed or rounded at the 

 apex, wedge-shaped below the middle; the en- 

 tire, wavy or toothed margin is revolute; when 

 young the leaves are densely whitish-hairj', but 

 soon become grayish green above, paler be- 

 neath, and softly hairy on both sides; the ve- 

 nation is very prominent, especially on the 

 under side; the leaf-stalk is stout, short, and 

 usually reddish. The flowers are axillar}^ ses- 

 sile or nearly so, usually solitary, sometimes 2 

 together; the calyx- tube is slender, about 5 mm. 

 long, its lobes short, rounded, and densely 

 covered with whitish hairs; in fruit it is stalked, spindle-shaped, red-brown, 

 smooth toward the cleft apex, 8 to 10 mm. long. The nutlet is nearly cylindric, 

 covered with long whitish hairs, its plume projecting about 3 cm. beyond the tube. 



Fig. 371. Few-flowered Mountain 

 Mahogany. 



4. MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY Cercocarpus ledifolius Nuttall 



A characteristic tree or shrub of the high dry slopes of the western sides of 

 the Rocky Mountains and westward, at altitudes of from 1500 to 2700 meters, 

 being found from Wyoming to Oregon, south to New Mexico and Cahfomia, 

 reaching at its greatest development a maximum height of about 12 meters, with 

 a trunk diameter of 7.5 dm. 



The trunk is short; the branches are stout and spreading; the bark of very 

 old trunks is 2.5 cm. thick, reddish brown, deeply furrowed and scaly; the twigs 

 are hairy and brown, becoming smooth, often with a bloom, and finally dark brown 

 and roughened by numerous leaf scars. The leaves are crowded, thick and 

 leathery, somewhat resinous, entire lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 1.5 to 3 cm. 

 long, pointed at each end, the margin strongly revolute, quite hair}^ when young, 

 but soon become smooth above, woolly and prominently veined beneath; leaf- 

 stalk short and broad. The flowers are soHtary in the axils of the leaves, 2 cm. 



