Cornus sericea L. ssp. sericea

Cornus alba L. p.p.

Cornus alba L. var. baileyi (J.M. Coult. & Evans) B. Boivin

Cornus alba L. var. interior (Rydb.) B. Boivin

Cornus alba L. ssp. stolonifera (Michx.) Wangerin

Cornus alba L. var. sibirica Lodd. ex Loudon

Cornus baileyi J.M. Coult. & Evans

Cornus instolonea A. Nelson

Cornus interior (Rydb.) N. Petersen

Cornus sericea L. var. interior (Rydb.) H. St. John

Cornus sericea L. ssp. stolonifera (Michx.) Fosberg

Cornus stolonifera Michx.

Cornus stolonifera Michx. var. baileyi (J.M. Coult. & Evans) Drescher

Cornus stolonifera Michx. var. coloradensis (Koehne) C.K. Schneid.

Cornus stolonifera Michx. var. interior (Rydb.) H. St. John

Cornus stolonifera Michx. var. stolonifera

Swida instolonea (A. Nelson) Rydb.

Swida sericea (L.) Holub

Swida stolonifera (Michx.) Rydb.

Red osier dogwood

About plant names...

Red osier dogwood is native to North America. It produces its own antifreeze, surviving temperatures down to –32°F.

Identification: This deciduous shrub is 3-18' (91-548 cm) high, and about the same in width. It is extensively branched. Stems are dark red when young, but fade to gray-green as they age, becoming red again in the fall. Leaves are 2-5" (5-12 cm) long and 1-2½" (2.5-6.3 cm) wide, oval, bright red in the fall. Red osier flowers are small and white, occurring in flat-topped groups. The fruits are white or dull white berries, about ¼" (6.3 mm), on bright red stems. (This rather striking combination of white berries and bright red stems also occurs in white baneberry, but baneberry bushes are smaller, and the leaves are very different.)

See also the cultivar Cornus sericea ‘Silver and Gold’.

Online References:

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea on Earl J.S. Rook's Flora, Fauna, Earth, and Sky ... The Natural History of the Northwoods

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea on theodorepayne.org

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea on Calflora

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea on CalPhotos

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea from the Jepson Manual

References:

Petrides, George A., Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1972, p. 76, 106

Little, Elbert L., National Audabon Society Field Guide to North American Trees, Eastern Region, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, p. 78, 617

Fisher, Kathleen, Taylor's Guide to Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2000, p. 13, 277

Dirr, Michael A., Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Timber Press, 1997, p. 110

Symonds, George W.D., Shrub Identification Book, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1963, p. 98

Berries are white ... the wrinkled blue berries are probably the result of a mold or fungus. · 9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine ID is uncertain

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm) ID is uncertain

6/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3" (12 × 8.4 cm) ID is uncertain

5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

6/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain

5/29/2010 · Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 3½ × 2½" (9.8 × 6.6 cm) ID is uncertain

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm)

6/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

Berries are white ... the wrinkled blue berries are probably the result of a mold or fungus. · 9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine ID is uncertain

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 15 × 10" (38 × 25 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2009 · Near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 12 × 8" (31 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

8/1/2009 · Stan & Connie’s, Falmouth, Maine
≈ 13 × 9" (33 × 22 cm) ID is uncertain

3/2/2011 · Mary­land
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Trail, Bar Harbor, Maine ID is uncertain

9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 14 × 10" (34 × 24 cm)

3/2/2011 · Mary­land
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)

9/3/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 14 × 9" (35 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/18/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9 cm)

Range:

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