Burke: Cornus unalaschkensis

	Cornus unalaschkensis
	western bunchberry
Habit	Low sub-shrub from widely spreading rhizomes, the stem erect, 5-20 cm. tall, largely herbaceous, greenish to reddish, leafless or bracteate below.
Leaves	True leaves in a terminal whorl, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, sub-sessile, 2-8 cm. long, green on the upper surface, paler and glaucous beneath.
Flowers	Flowers in a pedunculate, greatly condensed and semi-capitate cyme, subtended by 4 white, pinkish- or purplish-tinged, broadly to narrowly ovate bracts 1-2 cm. long; sepals 4, very small; petals 4, 1-1.5 mm. long, greenish-white, often purplish-tinged.
Fruits	Drupes 6-8 mm. long, bright coral-red.

	Cornus unalaschkensis
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Moist woods, low elevations to the subalpine.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to northern California, east to western Montana. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	C. canadensis, C. nuttallii, C. occidentalis, C. stolonifera
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Cornus unalaschkensis

western bunchberry

Habit

Low sub-shrub from widely spreading rhizomes, the stem erect, 5-20 cm. tall, largely herbaceous, greenish to reddish, leafless or bracteate below.

Leaves

True leaves in a terminal whorl, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, sub-sessile, 2-8 cm. long, green on the upper surface, paler and glaucous beneath.

Flowers

Flowers in a pedunculate, greatly condensed and semi-capitate cyme, subtended by 4 white, pinkish- or purplish-tinged, broadly to narrowly ovate bracts 1-2 cm. long;

sepals 4, very small;

petals 4, 1-1.5 mm. long, greenish-white, often purplish-tinged.

Fruits

Drupes 6-8 mm. long, bright coral-red.