Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) are evergreen, shrubby trees that grow to form impenetrable thickets at Middle elevations in the mountains.

Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) are usually found on gravel slopes and rocky ridges in the Transition (Yellow Pine Forest), Canadian (Pine-Fir Forest), and Hudsonian (Bristlecone Forest) life zones. 

Family: Rose (Rosaceae).

Other names:

Plant Form: Shrub to small tree, forming dense, shrubby thickets.

Height: To about 25 feet, but usually less than 8 ft in the desert mountains around Las Vegas.

Trunk: To about 12-in thick, reddish-brown bark, furrowed with age.

Leaves: Long, narrow, evergreen leaves. Thick and leathery. Green above, white (densely hairy) below. The edges of the long, narrow leaves are curled under.

Flowers: Small, yellow rose flowers. Bloom in the spring.

Seeds: Size and shape of a grain of wheat, but with a long (2-3 inch) feather-like plume.

Distribution: Western Mountains from Washington and Montana south to Mexico.

Elevation: Middle elevations in the mountains.

Habitat: Gravel slopes, rocky ridges.

Comments: For the off-trail hiker in the mountains around Las Vegas, impenetrable Mountain Mahogany thickets present one of the greatest obstacles.