"Cercocarpus" is Greek for "tailed fruit" (see the photos below).  The common name, "Mountain Mahogany", is oddly applied even to Cercocarpus species that grow in the desert.

    C. intricatus shares enough similarities with C. ledifolius (not shown) to cause some difficulties in identification: both have short, narrow leaves with rolled over edges; flowers and fruits are also quite similar, but the leaves, flower, and fruit of C. ledifolius are about one and a half times larger.  The leaf margins of  C. intricatus are rolled under more than those of C. ledifolius.  C. intricatus grows in thinner, rocky soils and grows scattered among Pinyon/Juniper, Blackbrush, and Ponderosa.   C. ledifolius grows in more pure stands in similar environments and grows in a more upright posture reaching to small tree size of about six to twenty-four feet.

   Cercocarpus montanus (click to see) has a number of characteristics that set it apart from C. intricatus and C. ledifolius:  notice especially the leaf shape, habitat, and growth pattern.

Cercocarpus intricatus has short, narrow, leathery-looking, evergreen leaves with rolled back margins.  Branches are densely, intricately interlaced and the shrub grows to 5 or 6 feet wide and tall.  When the tiny red trumpet flowers open they flare widely exposing red and yellow anthers, yellow-to-buff sepals, and a solitary style, the hooked appendage at two o'clock in the bottom flower below.  This style will  elongate and become plumose (feathery), as seen several photographs below and in the last photograph of C. montanus.  

A four foot shrub has thousands of flowers, making it visually and sweetly attractive.

"Intricatus" is Latin for "intricately branched".

Seeds are borne at the base of the feathery, curled plumes.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Cercocarpus intricatus