Redosier Dogwood

(Cornus sericea)

General Description

An open, spreading, multi-stemmed, medium to large

shrub with horizontal branches at the base. Freely stoloniferous

as it spreads by natural layering of lower, relatively

prostrate stems. Dark, blood-red bark provides winter

color.

Leaves and Buds

Bud Arrangement - Opposite.

Bud Color - Deep red-brown to purplish-black in color,

valvate.

Bud Size - 1/8 inch.

Leaf Type and Shape - Simple, ovate to oblong-lanceolate.

Leaf Margins - Entire margins.

Leaf Surface - Nearly smooth with arcuate venation.

Leaf Length - 2 to 5 inches.

Leaf Width - 1 to 2½ inches.

Leaf Color - Medium to dark green above, glaucous

beneath; purple fall color.

Flowers and Fruits

Flower Type - Flat-topped creamy cymes 1½ to 2½ inches

in diameter borne in late May through June.

Flower Color - Dull white.

Fruit Type - Drupe, 1/5 inch in diameter.

Fruit Color - White.

Form

Growth Habit - Loose and rounded in form with many

stems.

Texture - Medium, summer; medium-coarse, winter.

Crown Height - 7 to 10 feet.

Crown Width - 10 to 15 feet.

Bark Color - Dark, blood-red.

Root System - Shallow, fibrous, spreads by stoloniferous

branches.

Environmental Requirements

Water

Grows best in moist to somewhat wet loams.

Light

Full sun to partial shade.

Uses

Conservation/Windbreaks

Medium to tall shrub for farmstead and field windbreaks,

riparian plantings, and highway beautification.

Wildlife

Fruit and twigs are used by several species of wildlife,

such as robins, cedar waxwings, rabbits, and deer.

Provides dense cover for a large number of wildlife

species.

Agroforestry Products

Medicinal - Used in cancer therapy, to treat fevers and sore

mouths, and as an astringent and teeth cleaning stick.

Urban/Recreational

Used for screen, massing, bank cover, border, and specimen

plantings.

Pests

Twig blight (canker) may be a disease problem.

III-22