Cornus sericea

Cornus sericea, syn. C. stolonifera, Swida sericea, red osier or red-osier dogwood,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native throughout northern and western North America from Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to Durango and Nuevo León in the west, and Illinois and Virginia in the east. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species Cornus alba. Other names include red brush, red willow,[2][3][4] redstem dogwood,[2][4] redtwig dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood,[2] creek dogwood, and western dogwood.[2]

Cornus sericea
Red osier dogwood bearing fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus
Subgenus: Cornus subg. Kraniopsis
Species:
C. sericea
Binomial name
Cornus sericea
Natural range of subsp. sericea
Natural range of subsp. occidentalis

Description

In the wild, it commonly grows in areas of damp soil, such as wetlands. It is a medium to tall deciduous shrub, growing 1.5–4 m tall and 3–5 m wide, spreading readily by underground stolons to form dense thickets. The branches and twigs are dark red, although wild plants may lack this coloration in shaded areas. The leaves are opposite, 5–12 cm long and 2.5–6 cm broad, with an ovate to oblong shape and an entire margin; they are dark green above and glaucous below; fall color is commonly bright red to purple. The flowers are small (5–10 mm diameter), dull white, in clusters 3–6 cm diameter. The fruit is a globose white berry 5–9 mm diameter.

The Latin specific epithet sericea means "silky", referring to the texture of the leaves.[5]

Cultivation

Cornus sericea is a popular ornamental shrub that is often planted for the red coloring of its twigs in the dormant season. The cultivars 'Bud's Yellow',[6] 'Flaviramea'[7] with lime green stems, and 'Hedgerows Gold'[8] (variegated foliage) have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).[9]

Like most dogwood species native to North America, C. sericea can be parasitized by the dogwood sawfly, possibly leaving much of the plant devoid of leaves. A variety of pesticides are effective; however, hand-picking the larvae is also an option.

Uses

C. sericea is frequently used for waterway bank erosion protection and restoration in the United States and Canada. Its root system provides excellent soil retention, it is hardy and provides an attractive shrub even when bare in winter, and its ability to be reproduced by cuttings makes it a low-cost solution for large-scale plantings.[10][11]

Some Plateau Indigenous tribes ate the berries to treat colds and to slow bleeding.[12][13]

Known as cansasa in Lakota, the inner bark was also used by the Lakota and other Native Americans as "traditional tobacco", either by itself or in a mixture with other plant materials.[14][15] Among the Algonquian peoples such as the Ojibwe, the smoking mixtures, known as kinnikinnick, blended the inner bark with tobacco,[3] while more western tribes added it to the bearberry leaf to improve the taste.[12][16]

The Ojibwe used red-osier dogwood bark as a dye by taking the inner bark and mixing it with other plants or minerals.[2]

Subspecies

It is a variable species, with two subspecies commonly accepted:

  • Cornus sericea subsp. sericea – throughout the range of the species. Shoots and leaves hairless or finely pubescent; flower petals 2–3 mm.
  • Cornus sericea subsp. occidentalis (Torr. & A.Gray) Fosberg – western North America. Shoots and leaves densely pubescent; flower petals 3–4.5 mm.

Distribution
  • shrub
  • shrub, fall
  • shrub, winter
  • twigs
  • leaf
  • twig and leaf
  • flowers
  • flowers
  • flowers
  • Cornus: specimen botanicum sistens descriptiones et icones specierum corni minus cognitarum
  • seed

References
  1. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. USDA NRCS Plant Guide: REDOSIER DOGWOOD. May, 2006
  3. Hilger, Inez (1951, repr. 1992) Chippewa Child Life and Its Cultural Background, page 63
  4. Hart, Jeff, and Jacqueline Moore (1992). Montana—native plants and early peoples, pages 38–39. Montana Historical Society. ISBN 0-917298-29-2
  5. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
  6. "RHS Plantfinder – Cornus sericea 'Bud's Yellow'". Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  7. "RHS Plant Selector – Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'". Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  8. "RHS Plantfinder – Cornus sericea 'Hedgerows Gold'". Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  9. "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 16. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  10. "Home".
  11. http://www.northjersey.com/news/139671573_Boro_decides_to_fund_PRC_bank_stabilization_project__.html
  12. Moerman, Daniel E. (1998) "Cornus sericea ssp. occidentallis" Native American ethnobotany Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, page 178, ISBN 0-88192-453-9
  13. Hunn, Eugene S. (1990). Nch'i-Wana, "The Big River": Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. University of Washington Press. p. 353. ISBN 0-295-97119-3.
  14. Herbal lore: Red Osier Dogwood
  15. Cutler, Charles L. (2002) Tracks that speak: the legacy of Native American words in North American culture, page 176. ISBN 0-618-06510-5
  16. Staff (2009) "Bearberry" Archived 2010-12-18 at the Wayback Machine Discovering Lewis and Clark The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation
  17. Hackney, P. 1992. "Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland." Third edition. Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN 0-85389-446-9 (HB)
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