Summary ²

Cornus sericea, syn. C. stolonifera, Swida sericea, red osier/red-osier/red osier dogwood, 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. Other names include red willow, redstem dogwood, redtwig dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, and western dogwood.

Description ³

Family:
Cornaceae (Dogwood)

Height:
3 to 8 feet

Habit:
Multiple stemmed shrub with many branches

Leaves:
Opposite, egg-shaped with tapered tip with parallel veins. Leaf edges are smooth.

Bark:
Bark is distinctly red, becoming more gray with maturity

Flower:
Small, 4-petaled, white flowers form clusters up to 3 inches wide

Fruit:
White berry-like drupe forms clusters on green or reddish stalks

Bloom time:
May-August

Fall color:
Red

Nicknames:
Red-twigged Dogwood, Red Twig

Habitat:
Wetlands, shrub swamps, river banks

Wildlife Benefits:
Flowers attract bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies.

Notes:
Red-osier dogwood has unique, bright red bark that offers winter interest in gardens. It is commonly planted in landscapes and prefers sun or part shade.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/red-osier-dogwood
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/ro_dogwood.htm

Range ³

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
2. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_sericea
3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

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