Common Name:
Mountain-mahogany
Six species of evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, simple, often clustered, short petiole. Flowers inconspicuous, whitish-yellow, calyx tubular, abruptly broadening to a cup shape, 5-lobed, petals absent. Fruit a small nutlet, with a persistent, plumose style.
Cercocarpus: from the Greek kerkos, tail, and karpos, fruit, a reference to the tail-like plume.
Pronunciation:
ser-ko-KAR-pus
Family:
Rosaceae