Native to the Western U.S. mountains and Northern Mexico. A compact evergreen shrub or small tree with shaggy red bark. Leaves are dark green above, covered with a dense wool below, simple, alternate, obovate to elliptic, serrate, 3/4" to 1" long, 1/4" to 1/2" wide. Inconspicuous white flowers late spring into summer. Followed by a feathery, corkscrew-shaped fruit in autumn. Long-lived with a slow growth rate.