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Silky Dogwood

Cornus amomum

Summary 6

Cornus amomum Mill. (Silky Dogwood, or Kinnikinnik) is a species of dogwood native to eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec south to Arkansas and Georgia. It is also found in other parts of North America. Other names for this dogwood include red willow, silky cornel, squawbush, and indigo dogwood.

Cornus amomum is a deciduous shrub growing to 16 1⁄2 ft tall. The leaves are opposite, up to 4 in long and 2 3⁄4 in broad, oval with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in cymes. The fruit is a small blue drupe

Cornus amomum is primarily used by song birds, insects and rodents for its fruits which are produced in summer. Land dwelling mammals such as white-tailed deer and elk feast on the fruit as well. Cornus amomum uses the animals as a method of seed dispersal. As Cornus amomum fruit decay, fruitivores tend to pick only the ripe fruit and seeds, which destroy good seeds that would otherwise be dropped and grow. Cornus amomum has been marked as a pollinator plant, supporting and attracting bees, butterflies, and flies. It is a host plant for butterflies, providing food during their larval stage.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Anita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/61897811@N00/3750665545
  2. (c) luverly, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
  3. (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Douglas Goldman
  4. (c) Ken Potter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ken Potter
  5. (c) jpoyston, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpoyston/4710706954/
  6. Adapted by Tom Pollard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_amomum

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