Identifying characteristics:
This species is a spreading, low-branched tree or large shrub, with a conspicuously
horizontal, tiered habit. Unlike most dogwoods, the leaves
are alternate, but usually crowded near the twig tips to appear whorled.
The leaves are simple, entire, smooth and slightly hairy above, paler and
hairy below. Fall color is purplish-red and not outstanding. The tiny, fragrant
flowers are produced in early
June in 2-inch-wide, flat-topped, yellowish clusters. The flowers are not
eye-catching, but are an attractive addition to the late spring landscape.
The fruit is a bluish-black, berry-like
drupe produced in clusters on red stalks in July and August. The flesh is
dry and bitter, enclosing 1 or 2 grooved pits. The winter buds are
alternate or almost opposite, oval, sharp-pointed and covered with shiny,
brown scales. The bark is thin, smooth, reddish-brown and often streaked
with white, separating into shallow ridges with age.
Similar species:
- Other dogwoods (Cornus sp.)
Ecology:
Distribution: The alternate-leafed dogwood is native from New
Brunswick to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Alabama. It is the largest
of the native Iowa dogwoods, native as far west as the Des Moines River.
Habitat: Hardy from zone 3 to 7, this species does best in cooler
climates, preferring moist, acid, well-drained soils and a partially shaded
position. It is found in moist, upland woods, at forest edges and at the
bottom of steep slopes. Because of the thin bark, it is susceptible to fire
damage. This dogwood is not prone to serious diseases, but is occasionally
attacked by the dogwood borer, leaf spot, twig blight and canker.
Uses:
Wood: The reddish-brown wood is hard, heavy and close-grained, but
is not used commercially.
Wildlife: Many species of songbirds and gamebirds eat the fruits. Squirrels and small mammals eat the fruits and leaves and white-tailed deer eat the twigs and foliage.
Horticulture: Often called the "pagoda dogwood," this species, with its Y-type horizontal branching is useful for naturalized areas where horizontal emphasis is required. With its excellent textural effect, this dogwood is useful in woodland and shrub border plantings. In Iowa the flowering dogwood (C. florida) is seldom planted, and the alternate-leafed dogwood (C. alternifolia) has become quite popular. "Argentea" is a an attractive variegated cultivar with smaller leaves.
