Plant Type

Tree, Broadleaf Evergreen, Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12', 12-25'

 

Flower Color

Red

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green, White

 

Bark Color

Grey, White

 

Fruit Color

Brown, Red

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full

 

Water

Very Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Formal, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish

 

Accenting Features

Multi-trunk Tree, Showy Flowers, Silhouette, Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Screen, Small Spaces

 

Attracts Wildlife

Wildlife

Curl-leaf mountain mahoghany is a Utah native, useful as a large shrub or pruned as a small tree. It is one of the few native broad-leafed evergreens. It grows with a multi-stemmed, bushy, upright habit to about 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, though with supplemental watering it may grow taller. Flowers are small and reddish, blooming June to August. They are followed by an interesting curling, hairy, wiry plume. that is luminescent when back-lit. Bark is reddish brown and furrowed. Useful in a shrub or foundation border, or as part of a screen.

Grow in full sun in well drained soil; Is not too particular as to soil type as long as it is well draining, including sandy- loam, clay-loam, and rocky soils. Tolerates slightly alkaline soils. Once established, requires infrequent irrigation, though regular (monthly) irrigation will result in slightly more rapid growth rate. Does not respond well to shearing, and so prune selectively, if necessary to control size or form (see Guides). It is a good nibble for deer, which can be either a good or bad thing.