''Cornus excelsa'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the dogwood genus (''

Cornus ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...

''). It is native to mountain forests of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Description

''Cornus excelsa'' is a tree which grows up to 12 meters tall, with a trunk up to 15 cm in diameter.

Range and habitat

''Cornus excelsa'' is found in the mountains of Mexico and northern Central America, including the Sierra Madre Oriental, southern

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

Sierra Madre de Oaxaca The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca is a mountain range in southern Mexico. It is primarily in the state of Oaxaca, and extends north into the states of Puebla and Veracruz. Geography The mountain range begins at Pico de Orizaba, and extends in a southeas ...

, Sierra Madre del Sur, and Chiapas Highlands of Mexico, the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of Mexico and Guatemala, and the

Guatemalan Highlands The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north. Description The highlands are made up of a series of high valleys enclosed by mou ...

of Guatemala and Honduras. It is typically found in cloud forests, where it is a common early successional tree found in secondary vegetation. It is also found on ridges and slopes in montane oak and pine–oak forests. It ranges from 1,500 to 2,800 meters elevation. Seedlings can be readily grown from chemically scarified seeds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q15604733 excelsa Cloud forest flora of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental Flora of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur Flora of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Flora of the Chiapas Highlands Sierra Madre de Chiapas Flora of the Central American montane forests Flora of the Central American pine–oak forests Trees of Mexico Trees of Guatemala Trees of Honduras Plants described in 1820