Red-Osier Dogwood

Cornus sericea

Family: Cornaceae or Dogwood

Leaves: Green to dark green on top, red to purple in the fall, pale yellow-green beneath; opposite; simple; egg-shaped to lance-shaped, tapering to a point; 2-5" in length and 1" to 2-1/2" in width, approximately 5 vein pairs.

Twigs/buds: Twigs bright to dark red, covered with flattened, fine, soft hairs; slender, with lenticels. Buds dark reddish brown, covered in fine soft hairs.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers perfect; off-white, occur in May-early June in flat-topped cymes, 1-1/2" to 2-1/2" in diameter, flowering occasionally through the summer. Fruit is a white drupe; 1/3" in diameter; oval to round; occurring in late summer.

Bark: Showy, purple-red (late summer) to red (winter) to green (spring), sometimes brown; has many lenticels, develops cracks and splits later on.

Wood: Unimportant.

General: Utah's only native dogwood; native to Utah's mountains in moist areas near streams. A medium to large shrub, typically 7' to 10' tall. Canopy open and multi-stemmed. Susceptible to twig blight, leaf spot and scale. Prefers full sun to partial shade.

Landscape Use: Use as a screen, border, or for soil stabilization. Great for mass plantings in large areas such as parks or along highways. Makes an excellent landscape plant with its bright red stems in winter. A cultivar, 'Flaviramea' also is available with bright yellow stems. Zones 2-8. Needs periodic pruning to retain stem coloration. Zones 2-7.