Curlleaf mountain-mahogany

Curlleaf mountain-mahogany is a broadleaf evergreen, so its small leathery leaves can remain when many neighboring shrubs are bare. The leaves are darker and shinier above, paler beneath, and rolled under at their edges. Several may cluster on short shoots. Plants can look like dense shrubs or develop into small trees with substantial trunks. It belongs to the rose family; its common name should not lead visitors to expect the large leaves or form of a tropical timber tree.

The fruits are often more noticeable than the flowers. Each dry fruit carries a long, hairy tail that can twist into a corkscrew, creating a silvery display when many catch the light. The tail is a persistent flower structure and helps the fruit move in the wind. Flowers themselves are small and lack showy petals. A fruiting plant and a winter plant can therefore offer quite different recognition clues without representing different species.

This drought-tolerant plant grows in open mountain and foothill settings across much of Utah, including woodland edges and rocky slopes. Slow growth and long life make an established stand more than a replaceable patch of brush. Deer and elk use it for browse and cover, particularly in winter, and seedling establishment can be irregular. Enjoy the plumes without stripping them, stay out of dense sheltering growth, and avoid using living branches as convenient firewood or walking sticks.

Small evergreen leathery leaves with rolled-under edges; pale undersides; long hairy tails on dry fruits.

Leave fruits and living wood intact and avoid disturbing browsing wildlife.