Description

Mountain mahogany is common to mountainous regions throughout the state except the southeastern deserts. One encounters it in Santa Clara County to nearly the valley floor. It grows as a shrub or multi-trunked tree in a rounded to upright form. The structure is open and the branches are an attractive gray. The leaves are somewhat birch-like and are evergreen. Mountain mahogany is perhaps most appreciated for the seed heads which appear in early summer with their long, wispy extensions. Mountain mahogany is a fine candidate for a small tree and can be successfully trained into a columnar shape for narrow spaces.