Cercocarpus ledifolius
10-20 ft. Zone 5-9. Evergreen shrub or small tree with white bark and small, leathery leaves - dark-green on top and silvery underneath. Slightly resinous with compact, rounded crown of widely spreading, curved, and twisted branches and many stiff twigs. The leaves are narrow and pinched at the mid-rib, then bent to one side, hence the name curl-leaf. The flowers are inconspicuous, but the short, spiral, silver-haired seed plumes are eye-catching. The whole plant has a spicy aroma. The dark reddish-brown, mahogany-colored heartwood may have led to this name. The Navajo made a red dye from the roots by grinding and then mixing them with juniper ashes and powdered alder bark. Adaptable, hardy and trouble-free, this is a good dwarf specimen tree. The tree fixes nitrogen and is good for revegetation and erosion control. It is considered one of the hardiest broadleaf evergreens with the capacity for growing to tree size. It is native to high altitude desert areas; dry, rocky slopes; 4000-10,000 ft.