San Diego Mountain Mahogany, Cercocarpus minutiflorus

About San Diego Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus minutiflorus) 11 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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San Diego Mountain Mahogany is a beautiful native shrub that grows in Southern California, primarily in coastal Orange and San Diego counties, and in the western side of the Peninsular Range region, mostly at elevations from 0-4300 feet. It grows quickly to 8 feet, and then fairly slowly after that. Leaves are small and birch-shaped, delicate and emerald green in the winter and spring, and dark green, thick, and curled down during the dry season. Flowers are yellow. Probably its most spectacular feature are its feathery, silvery seeds produced in large quantities in late summer through early fall. The seeds light up in the sun, making the plant appear to have a silvery halo when back lit. It is nice as a hedge plant around San Diego.

It does well in full sun or part shade, and tolerates summer water up to 1x per month. It does best if planted near a seasonal creek or irrigated area. It can sprout from the stump if burned or severely cut back.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

6.5 - 16 ft tall
10 ft wide

Form

Upright Columnar

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

Cream, White, Yellow, Green

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 25 likely * ) SHOW ALL

California Hairstreak Satyrium californicaSatyrium californica

Mountain Mahogany Hairstreak Satyrium tetraSatyrium tetra

Behr's Hairstreak Satyrium behriiSatyrium behrii

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 11

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils including clay. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Hedges, Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants

toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos and Xylococcus species), Ceanothus species, Milkweed (Asclepias species), Giant Wild Rye (Elymus condensatus), Sand Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia), Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Monkeyflower (Mimulus species), Encelia californica, Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), Heartleaf Keckiella (Keckiella cordifolia), Penstemon species, Salvia species, Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Maintenance

If used in a narrow space or if a hedge is desired, it can be pruned or sheared as needed

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

3, 7, 14*, 15, 16, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Slopes, often near runoffs, seasonal creeks or slightly damper areas, from the coast to the foothills of the Peninsular Ranges, usually as part of chaparral vegetation but sometimes also associated with wetland edge species or oak woodland

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 9.2" - 24.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.24" - 2.58", Coldest Month: 38.5" - 55.4", Hottest Month: 66.2" - 79.6", Humidity: 1.04" - 29.91", Elevation: 37" - 6028"

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

San Diego Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus minutiflorus

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San Diego Mountain MahoganyCercocarpus minutiflorus

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San Diego Mountain Mahogany

Cercocarpus minutiflorus