Twigs/buds: Twigs fairly stout; somewhat 4-winged or ridged and orange when young; round and gray when older. Terminal bud broad-ovoid; 1/8" to 1/4" long; orange-hairy.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers perfect or dioecious; small and inconspicuous; in small, conical bunches; appear as the leaves emerge. Fruit a samara; 1/2" long, 1/8" to 1/4" wide; paddle-shaped in small clusters; often clinging to twigs into or throughout the winter; tip of wing rounded or notched.

Bark: Brown to red-brown; thin; with scaly ridges.

Wood: Unimportant; sapwood light colored and thick; heartwood light brown; growth rings distinct; ring- porous; heavy; hard.

General: A large shrub to small tree native to the canyons of southern Utah and scattered throughout the southwestern U.S., where it is generally found along streams or locations where moisture collects. I have seen it growing out of soil-collecting depressions on red sandstone slopes near St. George. Tolerant of drought, heat, and high soil pH. Shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: I'm not familiar with use of this plant in cultivated landscapes, but it may have some application in warmer parts of Utah where native plants and low water use are important. I have seen it carried in one nursery catalogue out of Oregon. Zones 6-9(10?).

Range map from Digital Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Utah