About Cercocarpus intricatus S.Watson
This plant, currently also classified as Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intricatus, is a thickly branched shrub that grows in an spreading, erect form reaching heights between 1 and 3 meters. Its branches hold many short gray twigs that bear small, widely spaced evergreen leaves. Each leaf is thick, short, 1 centimeter long or less, with rolled-under edges and a leathery texture. The inflorescence holds two or three flowers. Each flower is a tiny cup only a few millimeters wide, containing several protruding stamens and one pistil. After the rest of the flower falls away, the style remains; it is feathery, grows up to 2 centimeters long, and holds the achene fruit at its tip. Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intricatus is native to the Southwestern United States, ranging from California to Colorado. It grows mostly in dry habitats such as deserts, and can be found in rocky areas and on slopes in vegetation types including mountain brush, pinyon juniper woodland, and ponderosa pine forest. The Navajo have traditionally made a reddish-brown vegetable dye from the deep-red bark of this plant's taproot, which they used to dye woolen yarns.
