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''Cornus'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of about 30–60
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of woody plants in the
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Cornaceae The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, ''Alangium'' and ''Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, alt ...
, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s or
shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and some species are
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
. Several species have small heads of inconspicuous flowers surrounded by an involucre of large, typically white petal-like
bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
, while others have more open clusters of
petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
-bearing flowers. The various species of dogwood are
native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...
throughout much of
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
and
boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...
Eurasia and North America, with China, Japan, and the southeastern United States being particularly rich in native species. Species include the common dogwood '' Cornus sanguinea'' of Eurasia, the widely cultivated flowering dogwood ''(
Cornus florida ''Cornus florida'', the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida ...
)'' of eastern North America, the Pacific dogwood '' Cornus nuttallii'' of western North America, the Kousa dogwood '' Cornus kousa'' of eastern Asia, and two low-growing boreal species, the Canadian and Eurasian dwarf cornels (or bunchberries), '' Cornus canadensis'' and '' Cornus suecica'' respectively. Depending on botanical interpretation, the dogwoods are variously divided into one to nine
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
or
subgenera In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
; a broadly inclusive genus ''Cornus'' is accepted here.


Terminology

''Cornus'' is the Latin word for the cornel tree, ''
Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description It ...
''. The name ''cornel'' dates to the 1550s, via German from Middle Latin ''cornolium'', ultimately from the diminutive ''cornuculum'', of ''cornum'', the Latin word for the cornel cherry. ''Cornus'' means "horn",Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 121 presumably applied to the cherry after the example of κερασός, the Greek word for "cherry", which itself is of pre-Greek origin but reminiscent of κέρας, the Greek word for "horn". The name "dog-tree" entered the English vocabulary before 1548, becoming "dogwood" by 1614. Once the name dogwood was affixed to this kind of tree, it soon acquired a secondary name as the Hound's Tree, while the fruits came to be known as "dogberries" or "houndberries" (the latter a name also for the berries of
black nightshade Black nightshade is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Solanum americanum'' (American black nightshade) of much of North America * ''Solanum nigrum'' (European black nightshade) of Europe * '' Solanum ptychanthum'' (Eastern bla ...
, alluding to Hecate's hounds). The name was explained, from as early as the 16th century itself, as derived from '' dag'' "skewer",Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). ''Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow''. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London. as the wood of the tree was said to have been used to make butcher's skewers. This is uncertain, as the form ''*dagwood'' was never attested. It is also possible that the tree was named for its berry, called ''dogberry'' from at least the 1550s, where the implication could be that the quality of the berry is inferior, as it were "fit for a dog". An older name of the dogwood in English is ''whipple-tree'', occurring in a list of trees (as ''whipultre'') in
Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...
''
Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''magnum opus' ...
''. This name is cognate with the
Middle Low German Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...
''wipel-bom'' "cornel", Dutch ''wepe, weype'' "cornel" (the ''wh-'' in Chaucer is unetymological, the word would have been Middle English ''wipel''). The tree was so named for waving its branches, c.f. Middle Dutch ''wepelen'' "totter, waver", Frisian ''wepeln'', German ''wippen''. The name '' whippletree'', also ''whiffle-tree'', now refers to an element of the traction of a horse-drawn cart linking the drawpole of the cart to the harnesses of the horses in file. In this sense it is first recorded in 1733. This mechanism was usually made from oak or ash (and not from dogwood), and it is unlikely that there is a connection to the name for ''whipple-tree'' for Cornus.


Description

Dogwoods have simple, untoothed
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
with the
veins Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...
curving distinctively as they approach the leaf margins. Most dogwood species have opposite leaves, while a few, such as ''Cornus alternifolia'' and ''C. controversa,'' have their leaves alternate. Dogwood
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s have four parts. In many species, the flowers are borne separately in open (but often dense) clusters, while in various other species (such as the flowering dogwood), the flowers themselves are tightly clustered, lacking showy
petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s, but surrounded by four to six large, typically white petal-like
bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
s of all dogwood species are
drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...
s with one or two seeds, often brightly colorful. The drupes of species in the subgenus ''Cornus'' are edible. Many are without much flavor. '' Cornus kousa'' and ''
Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description It ...
'' are sold commercially as edible fruit trees. The fruits of ''Cornus kousa'' have a sweet, tropical pudding like flavor in addition to hard pits. The fruits of ''Cornus mas'' are both tart and sweet when completely ripe. They have been eaten in Eastern Europe for centuries, both as food and medicine to fight colds and flus. They are very high in
vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...
. However, those of species in subgenus ''Swida'' are mildly toxic to
people A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
, though readily eaten by
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s. Dogwoods are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...
e of some species of butterflies and moths, including the emperor moth,
the engrailed The engrailed and small engrailed (''Ectropis crepuscularia'') are moths of the family Geometridae found from the British Isles through central and eastern Europe to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan. The western Mediterranean and Asia Minor ...
, the small angle shades, and the following case-bearers of the genus '' Coleophora'': ''C. ahenella'', ''C. salicivorella'' (recorded on ''Cornus canadensis''), ''C. albiantennaella'', ''C. cornella'' and ''C. cornivorella,'' with the latter three all feeding exclusively on ''Cornus.''


Uses

Dogwoods are widely planted horticulturally, and the dense wood of the larger-stemmed species is valued for certain specialized purposes. Cutting boards and fine turnings can be made from this fine grained and beautiful wood. Over 32 different varieties of game birds, including quail, feed on the red seeds.


Horticulture

Various species of ''Cornus,'' particularly the flowering dogwood ''(Cornus florida),'' are ubiquitous in American
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
s and
landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...
;
horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
Donald Wyman Donald Wyman (1904 — 6 December 1993) was an American horticulturist, the head of horticulture at Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum from 1935 to 1970. He took a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Pennsylvania State College (1926) and a ma ...
stated, "There is a dogwood for almost every part of the U.S. except the hottest and driest areas". In contrast, in Northwest Europe the lack of sharp winters and hot summers makes ''Cornus florida'' very shy of flowering. Other ''Cornus'' species are
stolon In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...
iferous shrubs that grow naturally in wet habitats and along waterways. Several of these are used along highways and in naturalizing landscape plantings, especially those species with bright red or bright yellow stems, particularly conspicuous in winter, such as ''
Cornus stolonifera ''Cornus sericea'', the red osier or red-osier dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to much of North America. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species ''Cornus alba''. Other names includ ...
''. The following
cultivars A cultivar is a type of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and when Plant propagation, propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and st ...
, of mixed or uncertain origin, have gained the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
’s
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
(confirmed 2017): *‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ *‘Norman Hadden’ *‘Ormonde’ *‘Porlock’


Fruits

The species ''
Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description It ...
'' is commonly cultivated in southeastern Europe for its showy, edible berries, that have the color of the carnelian gemstone. Cornelian-cherries have one seed each and are used in syrups and preserves.


Wood

Dense and fine-grained, dogwood timber has a density of 0.79 and is highly prized for making loom shuttles, tool handles, roller skates and other small items that require a very hard and strong wood. Though it is tough for woodworking, some artisans favor dogwood for small projects such as walking canes, arrow making,
mountain dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length ...
s and fine
inlay Inlay covers a range of techniques in sculpture and the decorative arts for inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials into depressions in a base object to form Ornament (art), ornament or pictures that normally are flush with th ...
s. Dogwood wood is an excellent substitute for persimmon wood in the heads of certain golf clubs ("woods"). Dogwood lumber is rare in that it is not readily available with any manufacturer and must be cut down by the person(s) wanting to use it. Larger items have also been occasionally made of dogwood, such as the screw-in basket-style wine or fruit presses. The first kinds of
laminate Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materials ...
d
tennis racket A racket, or racquet, is a sports implement used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in games such as squash, tennis, racquetball, badminton and padel. In the strictest sense a racket consists of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a ...
s were also made from this wood, cut into thin strips. Dogwood
twigs A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or bush. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark are ...
were used by U.S. pioneers to brush their teeth. They would peel off the bark, bite the twig and then scrub their teeth.


Traditional medicine

The bark of ''Cornus'' species is rich in
tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...
and has been used in
traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
as a substitute for quinine. During the
American civil war The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, confederate soldiers made a tea from the bark to treat pain and fevers, and used dogwood leaves in a poultice to cover wounds. The Japanese cornel, '' C. officinalis'', is used in
traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...
as ''shān zhū yú'' for several minor ailments.


Classification

The following classification recognizes a single, inclusive genus ''Cornus,'' with four subgroups and ten subgenera supported by molecular phylogeny. Geographical ranges as native plants are given below. In addition, cultivated species occasionally persist or spread from plantings beyond their native ranges, but are rarely if ever locally
invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
.


Blue- or white-fruited dogwoods

Paniculate or corymbose
cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...
; bracts minute, nonmodified; fruits globose or subglobose, white, blue, or black: * Subgenus ''Yinquania''. Leaves opposite to subopposite; fall blooming. ** ''
Cornus oblonga ''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 ...
''. East Asia from Pakistan through the Himalayas and China. ** ''
Cornus peruviana ''Cornus peruviana'' is a species of tree in the family Cornaceae native to montane forests of southern Central America and western South America, from Costa Rica and Venezuela south to Bolivia. Description ''Cornus peruviana'' is a small to a l ...
''. Costa Rica and Venezuela to Bolivia. * Subgenus ''Kraniopsis''. Leaves opposite; summer blooming. ** ''
Cornus alba ''Cornus alba'', the red-barked, white or Siberian dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to Siberia, northern China and Korea. It is a large deciduous surculose (suckering) shrub that can be grown as a small t ...
'' (Siberian dogwood).
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
and northern China. ** '' Cornus amomum'' (silky dogwood). Eastern
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
east of the Great Plains except for the
Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...
. ** ''
Cornus asperifolia ''Cornus asperifolia'', called toughleaf dogwood, is species of ''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 thei ...
'' (toughleaf dogwood). Southeastern U.S. ** ''
Cornus austrosinensis ''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 ...
'' (South China dogwood). East Asia. ** ''
Cornus bretschneideri ''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 ...
'' (Bretschneider's dogwood). Northern China. ** ''
Cornus coreana ''Cornus walteri'', also called Walter's dogwood, is a deciduous shrub or small tree 8–16 m tall, native to eastern Asia in Korea and much of China from Liaoning to Yunnan. ''Cornus walteri'' has opposite, simple leaves, 5–12 cm long. ...
'' (Korean dogwood). Northeast Asia. ** ''
Cornus drummondii ''Cornus drummondii'', commonly known as the roughleaf dogwood, is a small deciduous tree that is native primarily to the Great Plains and Midwestern regions of the United States. It is also found around the Mississippi River. It is uncommon in ...
'' (roughleaf dogwood). U.S. between the
Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...
and the
Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
, and southern
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. ** ''
Cornus excelsa ''Cornus excelsa'' is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood genus (''Cornus''). It is native to mountain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Description ''Cornus excelsa'' is a tree which grows up to 12 meters tall, with a trunk ...
''. Mexico to Honduras. ** ''
Cornus foemina ''Cornus foemina'' is a species of flowering plant in the Cornaceae known by the common names stiff dogwoodCornus glabrata ''Cornus glabrata'' is a species of dogwood native to California and Oregon and known by the common names brown dogwood, smooth dogwood, and western cornel. This is a large shrub or thicket-forming bush with bright green leaves which turn red in ...
'' (brown dogwood or smooth dogwood). Western
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. ** ''
Cornus hemsleyi ''Cornus hemsleyi'' is a species of dogwood ''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 dist ...
'' (Hemsley's dogwood). Southwest China. ** ''
Cornus koehneana ''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 shru ...
'' (Koehne's dogwood). Southwest China. ** ''
Cornus macrophylla ''Cornus macrophylla'', commonly known as the large-leafed dogwood, is a species of dogwood found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan, and several provinces in China China, officially the People's Rep ...
'' (large-leafed dogwood; ). East Asia. ** '' Cornus obliqua'' (pale dogwood). Northeastern and central U.S., and southeastern Canada. ** ''
Cornus paucinervis ''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 ...
''. China. ** ''
Cornus racemosa ''Cornus racemosa'', the northern swamp dogwood, gray dogwood, or panicle dogwood, is a shrubby plant native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It is a member of the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' and the family Cornaceae. Desc ...
'' (northern swamp dogwood or gray dogwood). Northeastern and central U.S., and extreme southeastern Canada. ** ''
Cornus rugosa ''Cornus rugosa'', commonly called roundleaf dogwood, is a deciduous tree native to northern parts of the eastern and central United States and southern parts of central and eastern Canada. Description ''Cornus rugosa'' is a shrub or small tree ...
'' (round-leaf dogwood). Northeastern and north-central U.S., and southeastern Canada. ** '' Cornus sanguinea'' (common dogwood). Europe. ** ''
Cornus sericea ''Cornus sericea'', the red osier or red-osier dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Cornaceae, native to much of North America. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species ''Cornus alba''. ...
'' (red osier dogwood). Northern and western North America, except
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
regions. ** ''
Cornus walteri ''Cornus walteri'', also called Walter's dogwood, is a deciduous shrub or small tree 8–16 m tall, native to eastern Asia in Korea and much of China from Liaoning to Yunnan. ''Cornus walteri'' has opposite, simple leaf, leaves, 5–12 cm ...
'' (Walter's dogwood). Central China. ** ''
Cornus wilsoniana ''Cornus wilsoniana'', called ghost dogwood or Wilson's dogwood, is species of ''Cornus'' native to central and southeastern China. A tree typically 5 to 10m, rarely reaching 40m, it has leaves with white undersides, profuse white flowers in May, ...
'' (ghost dogwood). China. ** ''
Cornus × arnoldiana ''Cornus'' × ''arnoldiana'', the Arnold dogwood, is a hybrid dogwood native to eastern North America. It is reported from Ontario, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. It is a member of the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' and the family Cor ...
'' (
Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
: ''C. obliqua'' × ''C. racemosa''). Eastern North America. * Subgenus ''Mesomora''. Leaves alternate; summer blooming. ** ''
Cornus alternifolia ''Cornus alternifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to southern Manitoba and Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Mississippi. It is rare in the ...
'' (pagoda dogwood or alternate-leaf dogwood). Eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. ** ''
Cornus controversa ''Cornus controversa'' (wedding cake tree), syn. ''Swida controversa'', is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Cornus'' of the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to China, Korea, the Himalayas and Japan. It is a deciduous tree growing to , ...
'' (table dogwood). East Asia.


Cornelian cherries

Umbellate cymes; bracts modified, non-petaloid; fruits oblong, red; stone walls filled with cavities: * Subgenus ''Afrocrania''. Dioecious, bracts 4. **''
Cornus volkensii ''Cornus volkensii'' is a species of tree in the family Cornaceae native to montane forests of eastern Africa, from South Sudan and Kenya south to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Description ''Cornus volkensii'' is a small to medium-sized dioecious ev ...
''.
Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions ...
eastern Africa. * Subgenus ''Cornus''. Plants hermaphroditic, bracts 4 or 6 **''
Cornus eydeana ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family (biology), family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are decidu ...
''. Yunnan in China **''
Cornus mas ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood genus ''Cornus'' native to Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia. Description It ...
'' (European cornel or Cornelian-cherry).
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
. **'' Cornus officinalis'' (Japanese cornel). China,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. **''
Cornus piggae ''Cornus piggae'' is an extinct species of dogwood known from fossil fruits found in Late Paleocene sediments exposed in the US state of North Dakota. ''C. piggae'' is one of three extinct species placed in the ''Cornus'' subgenus ''Cornus'' ba ...
'' (
Late Paleocene The Thanetian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Serie ...
, North Dakota) **''
Cornus sessilis ''Cornus sessilis'' is a species of dogwood known by the common names blackfruit cornel, blackfruit dogwood, and miner's dogwood. This is a shrub or small tree which is endemic to northern California, where it grows along streambanks in the Casc ...
'' (blackfruit cornel).
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. * Subgenus ''Sinocornus''. Plants hermaphroditic, bracts 4 or 6 **''
Cornus chinensis ''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 shru ...
'' (Chinese cornel).
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.


Big-bracted dogwoods

Capitular cymes: * Subgenus ''Discocrania''. Bracts 4, modified, non-petaloid; fruits oblong, red. **''
Cornus disciflora ''Cornus disciflora'' is a species of flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. Description ''Cornus disciflora'' is a small to a large tree, growing from 6 to 25 meters tall. It flowers from January to July and September to Decembe ...
''. Mexico and Central America * Subgenus ''Cynoxylon''. Bracts 4 or 6, large and petaloid, fruits oblong, red. **''
Cornus florida ''Cornus florida'', the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida ...
'' (flowering dogwood). U.S. east of the Great Plains, north to southern Ontario. **'' Cornus nuttallii'' (Pacific dogwood). Western North America, from
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. * Subgenus ''Syncarpea''. Bracts 4, large and petaloid, fruits red, fused into a compound multi-stoned berry. ** '' Cornus capitata'' (Himalayan flowering dogwood).
Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. ** ''
Cornus hongkongensis ''Cornus hongkongensis'' (sometimes called ''Benthamidia hongkongensis'', ''Dendrobenthamia hongkongensis'',
'' (Hong Kong dogwood). Southern China,
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. **'' Cornus kousa'' (Kousa dogwood). Japan and (as subsp. ''chinensis'') central and northern China. **''
Cornus multinervosa ''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 ...
''. Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China


Dwarf dogwoods

Minute corymbose cymes; bracts 4, petaloid; fruit globose, red; rhizomatous herb: * Subgenus ''Arctocrania''. ** '' Cornus canadensis'' (Canadian dwarf cornel or bunchberry) Northern North America, southward in the Appalachian and
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...
Mountains. **'' Cornus suecica'' (Eurasian dwarf cornel or bunchberry). Northern Eurasia, locally in extreme northeast and northwest North America. **''
Cornus × unalaschkensis ''Cornus'' × ''unalaschkensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the Cornaceae, the dogwood family. Common names for the plant include Alaskan bunchberry, western cordilleran bunchberry, or simply western bunchberry. The species is native to ...
'' (
Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
: ''C. canadensis'' × ''C. suecica'').
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
(
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
),
Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
, and
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
and
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
in Canada.


''Incertae sedis'' (unplaced)

* ''
Cornus clarnensis ''Cornus clarnensis'' is an extinct species of flowering plant in the dogwood family, Cornaceae, solely known from the middle Eocene sediments exposed in north central Oregon. The species was first described from a series of isolated fossil see ...
'' (Middle
Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
, Central Oregon)


Horticultural hybrids

''Cornus'' × ''rutgersensis'' (
Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
: ''C. florida'' × ''C. kousa''). Horticulturally developed.


Cultural references

The
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
of the Pacific dogwood ''( Cornus nuttallii)'' is the official flower of the province of
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The flowering dogwood (''Cornus florida'') and its inflorescence are the state tree and the state flower respectively for the U.S. Commonwealth of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. It is also the state tree of
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
and the state flower of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, and the state memorial tree of
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. The term "dogwood winter", in
colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...
use in the American Southeast, is sometimes used to describe a
cold snap A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in tem ...
in spring, presumably because farmers believed it was not safe to plant their crops until after the dogwoods blossomed. Anne Morrow Lindbergh gives a vivid description of the dogwood tree in her poem "Dogwood".


Notes


References


External links


Dogwood history and uses''Cornus'' in Flora of China
{{Authority control Cornales genera Extant Campanian first appearances Plants used in bonsai