mountain mahogany

American  

noun

1. any of several western North American shrubs or small trees of the genus Cercocarpus, of the rose family, having simple, leathery leaves and small, whitish flowers.

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Etymology

Origin of mountain mahogany

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Oh, and a now-large toyon and mountain mahogany on either side to provide partial shade.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024

By Day 4, we’ve dropped into the mountain mahogany, juniper and parched, treeless hillsides of the high desert.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2022

John Maley’s 28,000-acre ranch sits on the eastern edge of Steens Mountain Wilderness, a sprawling high desert in a remote corner of southeastern Oregon that’s thick in season with sagebrush, juniper and mountain mahogany.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2020

The foreshaft was made of heavier wood, frequently mountain mahogany.

From Hunting with the Bow and Arrow by Pope, Saxton

Scattered here and there are a few other trees, mostly small--the mountain mahogany, cherry, chestnut-oak, and laurel.

From The Yosemite by Muir, John