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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): provides good fall color! |
We’re
truly experiencing winter this time of year; snows have turned Mother Nature’s
Montrose Garden into drifts of white. Pretty, but perhaps a little too
monochromatic! When brightening up a winter
garden, plants with interesting shapes and colorful bark can be a godsend. And our Plant of the Month, Redosier dogwood,
is one of the best for colorful bark.
The scientific name is pronounced KOR-nus sir-IH-see-uh.
Redosier
dogwood has gone by many names through the years. Some common names are American dogwood; Red
willow and Red brush; Red, Redstem or Red-twig dogwood; Creek, Rose, Silky, California,
Western or Poison Dogwood; Waxberry,
Red-osier and Red-stemmed Cornel; Red Rood; Harts Rouges; and Dogberry Tree.
The
species has also been given a number of scientific names, including
Cornus alba, Cornus
baileyi, Cornus instolonea, Cornus interior, Cornus stolonifera, Swida
instolonea, Swida stolonifera and
Swida sericea. Subspecies and varieties
have also been proposed for many of the above.
For example, the Redosier dogwood of Western Colorado was formerly known
as Cornus stolonifera var. coloradensis. Taxonomists now lump all the above into the
species Cornus sericea, with two subspecies: Cornus sericea subsp. sericea
(the more common form) and Cornus sericea subsp. occidentalis (limited
to WA, OR and CA).
Why
so many names? Perhaps one reason is
because type specimens were collected over a relatively long period of time (Linnaeus
named some in the 1700’s). Another reason is the broad species range, extending
over much of North America (with the exception of the southeastern and southern
plains states). Not surprisingly, morphologic (appearance) variants occur across
this extensive range. This is yet another factor responsible for the different
species, subspecies and varietal names.
The
last point has some relevance for those desiring a Redosier dogwood appropriate
for their local area. Several reasons support
choosing locally-sourced plants. First,
they have the appearance of the local, wild-growing type and so ‘look
appropriate’. Second, they may be better
suited to local growing conditions than those from distant source plants. Finally, planting locally-sourced plants helps
support the nurseries that grow and sell locally-native plants.
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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): young plant |
Redosier
dogwood is an upright, woody, winter-deciduous shrub. If you live in the West, you’ve likely seen
it growing along creeks and other moist places at higher elevations. It generally
reaches heights of 6-10 ft [2 to 3 meters], though in some parts of the country
it may grow to 12-20 ft. In Colorado,
our native variants are in the 6-8 ft. range.
Cornus sericea
is a clump-forming
shrub, sending out new shoots from the ground and attaining a width of 8-10 ft.
or more. The bark and twigs are a lovely
bright red to burgundy in late fall and winter.
It is the bark and growth habit that make this plant a valuable winter
color source in the garden.
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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): foliage |
From
spring to fall, Redosier dogwood is an attractive, bright-green shrub. The
leaves are simple, opposite and oval to oblong in shape (above). In some
variants, the leaves may be up to 4 inches long; in Western Colorado, the
leaves are closer to 2 inches. The leaves are darker above and lighter beneath
due to plant hairs (trichomes). The
leaves turn shades of yellow, red or purple in fall, with fall colors varying
by plant and yearly weather. In terms of
its foliage, this shrub is pretty in spring-summer, but spectacular in fall-winter.
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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): fall foliage |
But
that’s not all…. Cornus sericea is,
after all, a Dogwood. And Dogwoods are
known for their attractive flowers. Redosier dogwood is not the showiest species, but it
does produce sprays of lovely white flowers from June to August (or even into
September with a little water). The
flowers grow in dense, flat-topped clusters (technically called cymes). The
flowers themselves are small - 0.08-0.12 inches (2-3 mm) – with four petals typical
of the Dogwood family (below). The color
ranges from bright white to creamy-white, and the flowers are sweetly
scented.
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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): flowers |
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| Redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea): young fruits |
The
flowers attract many types of pollinators, from native and Honey bees, to
butterflies, moths and flower flies. The
resulting fruit is a small (1/4 to 1/3 inch) berry (technically a drupe) with a
large seed. The fruits start green,
maturing to white or a light blue (the Colorado variants are bluish). The
fruits remain on the shrub into winter, providing a cold-weather source of food
for fruit-eating birds.
All
in all, Redosier dogwood is an excellent habitat shrub, with the pollen and
nectar just the beginning. The fruits
attract a wide variety of birds, including bluebirds, catbirds, finches, flickers,
flycatchers, grosbeaks, kingbirds, magpies, mockingbirds, orioles, robins, European
starlings, tree swallows, tanagers, thrushes, vireos, pine warblers, cedar
waxwings and woodpeckers. Game birds who eat both the fruits and buds include
grouse, ringnecked pheasants, band-tailed pigeons, greater prairie chickens, quail,
and wild turkeys. [1] In addition, the dense foliage provides excellent nesting
sites for birds.
|
Desert Cottontail: one of many mammals that
eat Cornus sericea |
In
the wild, Cornus sericea fruit and foliage are eaten by black bear,
beaver, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks and other smaller
mammals. Deer, elk, Mountain goat, and moose also browse the twigs and foliage.
[2]
And where ever it grows, people have made use of Redosier dogwood.
The
fruits are tart and can make you sick if eaten in large quantities. None-the-less, they were traditionally used
as a relish or dried and eaten – alone or mixed with sweeter berries. The plant also has a history of use as a
natural medicine, although the uses seem less specific than for many other medicinal
species. [3-5] Both the bark and leaves
were sometimes used for smoking, often mixed with native tobaccos.
The
branches of Cornus sericea were traditionally used to make a number of useful
products and utensils including toothbrushes, bows and arrows, digging sticks,
pipe stems, drumsticks, tipi stakes and pins, slingshots, weaving shuttles, cooking
and drying racks, and kettle hangers. The species was widely used in
basket-making, and is still gathered for this use today. The bark retains its red color if collected in
spring and different bark colors were often utilized in basketry patterns. The bark can also be used as a dye-stuff.
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Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea): plant where it
has room to grow. |
Redosier
dogwood is fairly easy to cultivate in the garden. It grows in USDA Zones 2-8 and tolerates many
soil textures. It can be grown in soils
with pH 5.0 to 8.0, though it probably likes neutral soils best. And plants tolerate full sun to part-shade.
They
do like water and grow best in soils that are saturated at least part of the
year. But warm, moist weather can promote fungal diseases; drier climates or
planting in an area with good air circulation is recommended. Once established, Cornus sericea can
get by on deep weekly summer water – perhaps even less in denser soils. It actually does better if soils are left to
dry out in late summer and fall, mimicking natural seasonal conditions.
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| Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea): flower buds |
Redosier
dogwood requires only minimal maintenance.
This species is a spreader, so plant it where it can expand a bit. If shoots appear where unwanted, cut them off
at the root with a sharp shovel.
Routine pruning is not necessarily required. But removal of the oldest 20% of stems in
early spring (cut back to the ground) promotes good winter color. Alternatively, the entire plant can be cut to
the ground (coppiced) every 3 to 4 years to rejuvenate. Either of these methods keeps the plant
healthy as well as attractive. The goal
is to mimic the natural ‘pruning’ done by animals in the wild.
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| Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea): fall leaf color |
So,
why consider Cornus sericea for your home
garden? First, it’s a wonderful habitat
plant, providing food, shelter and nesting sites for a wide range of creatures.
It’s also the perfect shrub for places that stay a bit moister than the rest of
the garden – perhaps on the north side of a fence or building. If you have a stream or pond, Redosier
dogwood will be right at home there. It
also works in a rain garden or infiltration swale, and does a nice job of
stabilizing slopes and banks.
Redosier
dogwood makes a nice hedge or hedgerow shrub, with its green foliage, fragrant
flowers and fruits. It’s prized for
winter color, often when contrasted with evergreen shrubs such as junipers. Or pair it with its natural associates: aspen
(Populus tremuloides), birch (Betula spp.), Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii),
wild currants and gooseberries (Ribes spp.), hawthorne (Crataegus
spp), maples (Acer species), ash (Fraxinus species), Western sycamore
(Platanus racemosa), cottonwood (Populus species), willow (Salix
species), wild honeysuckle (Lonicera species) and wild grape (Vitis species)
If
you are a basket-maker or twig artist, several Cornus sericea shrubs
will supply you with materials every year. You might even want to put the wood
to some of its traditional practical uses!
If
you need an Cornus sericea with specific characteristics (size; leaf
size; bark color) there are a number of cultivars available from traditional
shrub nurseries. So the only question
is: do you have a place for this lovely native shrub?
For a
gardening information sheet see: Gardening
sheet cornus sericea (slideshare.net)
For more
pictures of this plant see: coming in 2021
For plant
information sheets on other Western U.S. native plants see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
________________
- https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_cose16.pdf
- https://mpgnorth.com/field-guide/cornaceae/red-osier-dogwood
3. https://medivetus.com/botanic/cornus-sericea-red-osier-dogwood-medicinal-uses/
4. Harrington,
H. D. 1967. Edible native plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New
Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Kershaw, L.
2000. Edible and medicinal plants of the Rockies. Lone Pine Press,
Edmonton, Alberta.
We
welcome your comments (below). You can
also send your questions to: monaturesmontrosegarden@gmail.com
