Las Pilitas Nursery

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3232 Las Pilitas Rd
Santa Margarita, CA 93453
Fri. & Sat. from 9am-4pm
8331 Nelson Way
Escondido, CA 92026
Tues. to Sat. from 9am-4pm

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Cercocarpus betuloides

Identification

Cercocarpus betuloides, Mountain Mahogany.
A closeup of the flowers of Cercocarpus betuloides, Mountain Mahogany, with an inset of the plant in fruit.  - grid24_3
Cercocarpus betuloides
Cercocarpus betuloides in the wild. This Mountain Mahogany  is about 30 years old. In most areas of California Mountain Mahogany makes a 5-6 ft. drought tolerant hedge. Useful in places like Los Angeles where green seems to be missing. - grid24_3
Cercocarpus betuloides can grow to about 15 feet tall.
This is a young Mountain Mahogany after a couple of years with no water. It is mixed in with Trichostema and Chamise here. But nearby it's mixed with scrub oak and Pitcher sage. - grid24_3
Cercocarpus betuloides, a young Mountain Mahogany in the wild.

Description

Mountain Mahogany is an evergreen shrub, found in Oregon, California, and east to the Rocky Mountains. The whole plant appears silvery in the late summer through fall, due to the feathery fruits. The plant has much smaller and hairier leaves than C. alnifolius, a graceful shape and open structure, so it looks more "native", while C. alnifolius looks more like a typical garden plant. With a little training you can make a 15 foot hedge out of these. Cercocarpus betuloides tolerates full sun, is drought tolerant within its range, and tolerates clay soils and wind. A red dye can be obtained from the bark and roots. We observed no cold damage at -20 degrees F. (but it will become deciduous). Deer do utilize this species as a browse plant. Native on the nursery site on north slopes in clay or granitic soils. All the Cercocarpus species are nitrogen fixing (Pinyuh) and good for revegetation, erosion control and wildlife. Stick on the hillside in amongst the Ceanothus and manzanita to create a different texture. Did I just type that?

Available at our Online store.

Contact: pan@laspilitas.com
Container Size Quantity In Production Quantity For Purchase Unit-Price
One Gallon 3 0 $ 8.99

Available at our Santa Margarita store.

Contact: bawilson@laspilitas.com
Hours: Open Saturday only from 9am to 4pm
Address: 3232 Las Pilitas Rd. Santa Margarita, CA 93453
Container Size Quantity In Production Quantity For Purchase Unit-Price
One Gallon 2 1 $ 8.99
Five Gallon 0 0 $ 26.99

Available at our Escondido store.

Contact: escondido@laspilitas.com
Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am to 4pm
Address: 8331 Nelson Way Escondido, CA 92026
Container Size Quantity In Production Quantity For Purchase Unit-Price
One Gallon 110 0 $ 8.99
Five Gallon 0 0 $ 26.99

Characteristics

Cercocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany tolerates sand, clay and serpentine.

Cercocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany's foliage color is green and type is evergreen.
Cercocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany's flower color is na.

Communities

Communities for Cercocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany:Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Northern Oak Woodland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland and Yellow Pine Forest.

Ranges for Cercocarpus betuloides

ph: 5.00 to 8.00
usda: 7 to 10
height[m]: 1.00 to 5.00
width[m]: 1.00 to 2.00
rainfall[cm]: 52.00 to 108.00

What does all this mean!?!

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