Cornus sericea
red-osier dogwood
purplish red; seldom red-brown, or green in shade, strigose or villous;
hairs either appressed or spreading and crisped.
elliptic to ovate or lanceolate, 4.7–14.8 × 1.8–11.8 cm, bases obtuse or rounded; seldom broadly acute;
secondary veins 4–7 on each side of blade, prominent beneath;
tips usually gradually acuminate;
surfaces abaxially pubescent with spreading, often somewhat crisped hairs, tightly appressed; parallel, 2-rayed hairs, or both hair types on different parts of leaf, adaxially strigose;
hairs appressed (seldom; a few hairs spread slightly);
petioles 6–30 mm.
flat-topped; much-branched cymes, appearing with or after leaves, 3–6 cm wide, strigose or villous;
hairs either appressed or spreading and crisped;
bracts 0.
corollas 2.5–4.5 mm;
lobes linear or lanceolate, white to cream.
ellipsoidal, 7–9 mm, white; seldom bluish.
Cornus sericea
Banks of rivers, creeks, ponds, and lakes, marshes and wet ground; Flowering May–Sep. 0–1900 m. All ecoregions except Est. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to AK, throughout Canada and US except TX and southeastern states, south to northern Mexico; Asia, Europe. Native.
Variation in C. sericea needs further study. In western North America, the species has been divided into several species or subspecies based on the size of the flowers, the shape and surface ridging of the stones, and the distribution of different hair types (appressed or spreading and crisped) on the twigs, leaves, and inflorescences (Rickett 1944; Fosberg 1942). In Oregon, there is no correlation between flower size and the indumentum characters. Unless other characters can be discovered, there is no justification for recognizing more than one taxon in Oregon.
Alan Whittemore
BC
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
