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San Diego Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus minutiflorus
  
About San Diego Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus minutiflorus) 12 Nurseries Carry This Plant 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
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
6.5 - 16 ft tall
10 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright Columnar

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
Slight

Flower Color
Flower Color
Cream, White, Yellow, Green

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 


Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

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

Common uses
Common uses
Hedges, Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens

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

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

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

Natural Setting
Site Type
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
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"


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


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