Cercocarpus

Cercocarpus
C. ledifolius var. intricatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Subfamily:	Dryadoideae
Genus:	Cercocarpus Kunth[1]
Species
Several, see text

Cercocarpus, commonly known as mountain mahogany, is a small genus of five or six species of nitrogen-fixing^[2] flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native to the western United States and northern Mexico, where they grow in chaparral and semi-desert habitats and climates, often at high altitudes. Several are found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion.

Cercocarpus intricatus, Spring Mountains, southern Nevada (elevation about 2700 m)

The classification of Cercocarpus within the Rosaceae has been unclear.^[3][4] The genus has been placed in the subfamily Rosoideae, but is now placed in subfamily Dryadoideae.^[5]

Members of the genus are deciduous shrubs or small trees, typically reaching heights of 3 to 6 meters (9–18 feet) tall, but exceptionally up to 13 meters (40 feet) high. C. montanus usually remains under 1 meter (3 feet) high because of incessant browsing by elk and deer.

The name is derived from the Greek words κέρκος (kerkos), meaning "tail" and καρπός (karpos), meaning "fruit." It refers to the tail-like plume on the fruits.^[6]

Species ^{[7][8][9][10]}

• Cercocarpus betuloides – Birch-leaf mountain mahogany
  • Cercocarpus betuloides var. betuloides
  • Cercocarpus betuloides var. blancheae (C.K.Schneid.) Little – Island mountain mahogany
  • Cercocarpus betuloides var. macrourus (Rydb.) Jeps. – Klamath mountain mahogany
• Cercocarpus breviflorus A.Gray – Hairy mountain mahogany
• Cercocarpus douglasii Rydb
• Cercocarpus fothergilloides Kunth
• Cercocarpus intricatus S.Watson
• Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt. – Curl-leaf mountain mahogany
  • Cercocarpus ledifolius nothovar. intercedens C.K.Schneid.
  • Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus N.H.Holmgren
  • Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius
  • Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intricatus (S.Watson) M.E.Jones – Little-leaf mountain mahogany
• Cercocarpus minutiflorus Abrams – Smooth mountain mahogany
• Cercocarpus montanus Raf. – Alder-leaf mountain mahogany
  • Cercocarpus montanus var. argenteus (Rydb.) F.L.Martin – Silver mountain mahogany
  • Cercocarpus montanus var. montanus
• Cercocarpus traskiae Eastw. – Catalina Island Mountain mahogany

Notes

1. "Genus: Cercocarpus Kunth". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-06-21. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
2. http://web.uconn.edu/mcbstaff/benson/Frankia/Rosaceae.htm
3. Morgan, D.R., et al. (1994). Systematic and evolutionary implications of rbcL sequence variation in Rosaceae. American Journal of Botany. 81(7): 890–903.
4. Eriksson, T., et al. (2003). The phylogeny of Rosoideae (Rosaceae) based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and the trnL/F region of chloroplast DNA. International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164: 197–211.
5. Potter, D., et al. (2007). Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 266(1–2): 5–43.
6. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. I: A-C. CRC Press. p. 485. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
7. The Plant List, Cercocarpus
8. "Cercocarpus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
9. "GRIN Species Records of Cercocarpus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
10. "Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Genus Cercocarpus Kunth". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2012-04-19.

External links

• Media related to Cercocarpus at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Cercocarpus at Wikispecies
• Jepson Manual Treatment - Cercocarpus
• USDA Plants Profile: Cercocarpus