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Project Noah Nature School
Purshia Tridentata
Large shrub covered in curly furry things in summer and fall, yellow flowers in spring.
Spotted on Oct 2, 2011
Submitted on Oct 14, 2011
13 Comments
Looking at Purshia tridentata fruits on this page (http://www.calflora.net/specialpages/spe...) makes me more confident that this is a Cercocarpus pictured. There are a few different species of Cercocarpus, and I'm not sure which one it is.
After a second look at my photo of mountain mahogany, I see that the leaf here is a little different, but the pods look the same. Will be interesting to find out just what this is!
I might have to take this in to the biology department at my school...
Looks good to me : 0 )
Those seeds look like mountain mahogany to me too. Take a look at this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercocarpus....
This looks just like a photo I took in Sept. of an alderleaf mountain mahoghany, located near Silver Lake, OR. They grow up to about 20 ft tall here, but are usually smaller. I've been seeing them in Central & Eastern OR for many years, but this was the first time I've seen them with these "pods". Not sure if I've just not been around them at the right time or if this is a rare occurance. Google has a good photo with the "pods"
My humble apologies Loraine. The leaves in the first photo have straight edges and DO look like Purshia tridentata. What I don't understand is why the leaves in the 2nd shot are distinct.... Really sorry for all the bother and thanks for the lovely photos!
Sorry Loraine, I haven't. Perhaps someone else can help clear it up. It's a very distinctive and beautiful plant with those feathery seeds :)
Well, it is the only scientific name I could find for this type of bush. Any suggestions for alternatives?
The leaves of Persia tridenata look like this: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P...
Both pictures are of the same plant. The leaves in the first shot are at an angle.. some of the three- toothed leaves may be younger, or eaten by insects. I'm not sure if the curly furry things are seeds, but I am sure they are part of the plant. Thanks!
On closer inspection, I don't think this is Purshia tridentata as it has three teethed leaf tips, whereas the leaves in the second shot are dentate all the way around the leaf.
Beautiful photos. Are these seeds actually attached to the shrub? They look like Clematis seeds that have blown of a vine and got snagged on this shrub.