Cornus sericea
Object Details
- Description
- In horticulture, the red twig dogwood is most noted for the color of its young branches, which are a nice ornamental red, especially in the winter. In the wild, it indicates a wet site, can survive for up to seven years with water above its roots, and prevents riverbanks from eroding.
- Hardiness
- -40 - 10 F
- Attracts
- Bees, birds, butterflies. Host for spring azure larva.
- Bloom Time
- May to June
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2024-1861A
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Life Form
- Deciduous shrub/sub-shrub
- Bark Characteristics
- Bark on young twigs is red
- Bloom Characteristics
- Perfect flowers grow in cyme, have four petals, and are white.
- Fall Color
- Red, orange, purple
- Foliage Characteristics
- Simple, opposite, green leaves are oval and 2-6" (5-15 cm) long.
- Fragrance
- Slight
- Fruit Characteristics
- 10-30 drupes are white to blue. Each is .15-.4" (4-10mm) across.
- Plant Size
- 6-9' tall by 7-10' wide (1.8-2.7 x 2.1-3 meters)
- Range
- Northern America
- Habitat
- Swamps, wetland margins, along lakes, rivers; 0-10000ft (0-3000m)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Display Collection
- On Display
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Common Name
- Red osier dogwood
- Red stem dogwood
- Red twig dogwood
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Asteranae
- Order
- Cornales
- Family
- Cornaceae
- Genus
- Cornus
- Species
- sericea
- Topic
- Display Gardens
- Living Collections
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2024-1861A
- Usage
- CC0
