Cornaceae

Description

A deciduous, upright, spreading, thicket-forming shrub which grows in moist and riparian areas.

At a glance

• Plant Type: Shrub
• Distribution: This plant grows from Alaska to California (including British Columbia), east to the Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America. This plant grows on both sides of the Cascades crest and at the coast in Washington.
• Height: This plant grows 7 to 20 feet (2 to 6 m) in height.
• Flowers: Flat-topped cymes are produced which contain white flowers. The flowers contain 4 sepals, 4 petals, 4 stamens, and 1 style. The style is diminutive (1 to 3 mm) in length and the petals are less than 1/4 of an inch (2 to 4 mm) in length.
• Leaves: This plant produces opposite leaves which are greenish on the upper surface and much paler on the lower surface. The blades are ovate to elliptic-ovate in shape, acuminate, petiolate, and grow 1-5/8 to 5 inches (4 to 12 cm) in length.
• Fruits: This plant produces drupes which are white to bluish in color, glabrous to pubescent in texture, and approximately 3/8 of an inch (7 to 9 mm) in length.
• Notable features: This plant can produce many stems which spread through layering of decumbent or prostrate stems. The younger branches are reddish to reddish-purple in color and become grayish-green with age. The red winter twig color is prized in landscaping.
• Synonyms: Cornus sericea, Cornus sericea ssp. sericea, and Cornus stolonifera var. stolonifera

Restoration and Conservation

Red osier-dogwood is an excellent plant for restoration purposes.  It is easy to propagate, grows quickly, and has wildlife value. It does well in areas that are seasonally inundated with water. Places along stream banks and shorelines are ideal.  It has a fibrous root system which is great for soil stabilization. This dogwood is an excellent shrub to plant along sunny edges and in deciduous canopy shade because it is sun-loving and shade tolerant.  It provides ample shade on the ground below and nearby, which serves well to shade out weedy species like reed canarygrass and Himalayan blackberry. The flowers in spring provide nectar for insects and hummingbirds. Birds eat the berries that develop in summer and early fall, as well as nest in the protective shrub cover. This plant is an important browse food for moose, deer, and elk. The berries are eaten by mammals such as bears, foxes, skunks, and chipmunks. Beavers and muskrats use the twigs to repair dams or build new dams.

Ethnobotany

The beautiful slender red stems are used for basket weaving by Native American tribes.  The twigs were used for all sorts of functions including salmon spreaders and medicinal uses. On the west coast and inland, native tribes (Okanogan-Colville) made tea from the bark for medicinal purposes. Parts of the plant were used by native tribes to produce black, red, and khaki dyes. Berries were also eaten (Kutenai, Okanogan-Colville.)

Reference

• Moerman, DE. 2002.  Native American Ethnobotany.  Timber Press, page 179.
• Pojar, J and MacKinnon, A. 2004. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. Vancouver (BC): Lone Pine Publishing, Page 90.
• Turner, NJ and Efrat, BS. 1982 Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island. Victoria (BC): British Columbia Provincial Museum (p. 73).
• University of Washington-Bothell, The North Creek Wetland: https://www.uwb.edu/wetlands/plants/cornus-sericea 
• USDA Plant Fact Sheet: Red osier dogwood [Internet]. c2006 [cited 2014 Dec 07]. Available from: https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=COSES 
• WTU Image Herbarium: http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/browse.php?Genus=Cornus

Page Authors/Editors

• Sarah Verlinde
• Gerald B. Stanley
• Diane Stutzman

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