Medicinal Monday - Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany

Most of us consider mahogany a tropical hardwood tree that can be found in Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela as well as in other countries in this general area. Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany, or Cercocarpus ledifolius is a North American species of mountain mahogany and is not considered a true mahogany whose trees are in the Meliaceae family. Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany belongs to the Rosaceae or rose family. This tree traditionally had both medicinal and practical uses among many Native American communities.

photo credit Jason Hollinger

About Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany

This North American species of mahogany can be found in much of the Western part of the United States. It prefers to grow at high elevations that are up to 9.800 feet in well-drained sandy soil and is often found on low mountains and slopes. This tree with large dense branches that grow on one to four main trunks has lance-shaped dark green leaves with curled edges that can grow up to 36 feet high. The tan-colored plume-like tubular-shaped flowers grow in groups of three and are covered in tan hairs. The flower's stigma remains attached to the seed giving the seed the appearance of having a fuzzy tail.

photo credit - Matt Lavin

Practical Uses

Many Native American communities used the wood of this plant to make small items such as bows, spearheads, and special sticks for digging roots. A rose-colored dye was also made from the bark and used decoratively.

Medicinal Uses

One of the most common uses medicinally of this tree was to make tea from the bark to treat colds and other pulmonary illnesses as well as venereal disease. Research has shown that the bark was dried for up to two years before being made into tea. Another use of the dried bark, which was either pounded into a powder or made into a paste was in the treatment of sores, cuts, burns, and wounds. In addition to this, a decoction of the bark was used to treat stomach troubles as well as a wash for dry eyes. Specifically, the Gosiute, Shoshoni, and Paiute charred the wood, ground it into a powder, and applied it to burns. The Kawalisu dried the leaves and used this mixture to treat earaches. The Paiute made a decoction to treat diarrhea and also took it as a blood tonic. They also made a decoction of the leaves to treat coughs, colds, and heart trouble. The Shoshoni made a compound infusion of scraped bark for children with diarrhea; they also made a poultice of leaves and bark and applied the mixture to bring down swelling. The Shoshoni also made a decoction of the inner bark and used it as a wash for eye trouble.

Matt Lavin

Did You Know...

Deer eat the leaves of this tree year-round. 

This tree grows very slowly and can take up to 100 years to reach its full height.

The oldest tree specimens of this genus are thought to be 1,350 years old.

The wood of curl-leaf mountain mahogany is so hard and dense that it won't float.

Because this is a slow-burning wood it was the wood of choice in the 19th century manufacturing of smelting ores. 

The Greek name for this tree means "tailed fruit."