Cornus rugosa

Cornus rugosa, commonly called roundleaf dogwood or round-leaved dogwood, is a deciduous tree native to northern parts of the eastern and central United States and southern parts of central and eastern Canada.[2][3]

Roundleaf dogwood
Branch with fruit and leaves

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus
Subgenus: Cornus subg. Kraniopsis
Species:
C. rugosa
Binomial name
Cornus rugosa
Range within North America
Synonyms

Swida rugosa

Description

Cornus rugosa is a shrub or small tree, 1–4 m (3–13 ft) tall, with yellowish-green twigs that may have red or purple blotches. Pith is white. Leaves are oppositely arranged, round orbicularly shaped with an acuminate tip, have an entire margin, and are woolly to hairless below.[4] Leaves have 6-8 pairs of lateral veins and 7–15 cm long. Leaf scars are broadly U-shaped with 3 bundle scars.

White flowers appear in early summer arranged on flat topped cymes. The flowers themselves are pedunculate with 4 calyx lobes and 4 petals. The cymes are 3–6 cm (1+1⁄4–2+1⁄4 in) wide and contain 20–50 flowers. Fruits are blue to greenish white drupe that matures in October.[5][6]

Roundleaf dogwood prefers well drained to normal moisture soil and, like most dogwoods, is shade tolerant.[7]

Ecology

Roundleaf dogwood is a host species for the spring azure and gossamer wings.[7]

Fruits are eaten by ruffed grouse and sharp-tailed grouse. Twigs are consumed by white tailed deer, Eastern cottontail, and mice.[4]

Conservation

Roundleaf dogwood is listed as endangered in Maryland and is a species of special concern in Rhode Island.[2]

References
  1. "Cornus rugosa". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Cornus rugosa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. "Cornus rugosa". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  4. Petrides, George A. (1986). A field guide to trees and shrubs: northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and south-central Canada. Illustrations by George A. Petrides, Roger Tory Peterson (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-13651-2.
  5. Rhoads, Ann Fowler; Block, Timothy A. (5 September 2007). The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-0-8122-4003-0.
  6. Meades, Susan J. "Cornus rugosa". Northern Ontario Plant Database. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. "Plant Detail: Cornus rugosa (roundleaf dogwood)". Native Plants Database. Evergreen. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
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