Dr. Bill - it is indeed a beautiful tree, the way the thin red bark peels back to reveal the pale mossy green underneath.

I've often wondered about the origin of its name. It sounds like a Spanish word and looks like an Italian word. My giant Spanish dictionary on my desk doesn't turn up anything for madrón, which would be the Spanish rendering of it. If it is a word, in Spanish or Italian, it would likely translate as something like "big mother," but it could be a corruption of madera (wood) as well, but I'm guessing.