gray dogwood
Cornus racemosa
Even after birds eat the white berries, the bright red fruit stalks (pedicels) remain on the plant, creating a striking contrast against the gray bark through late autumn.
- Scientific name
- Cornus racemosa
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Cornales › Cornaceae › Cornus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Forest edges, moist fields, thickets, riparian zones, and open woodlands.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Eastern North America, Midwestern United States, Southeastern Canada
- Size
- Multi-stemmed shrub growing 3 to 5 meters (10 to 16 feet) in height.
- Lifespan
- 10 to 30 years for individual stems, though clonal colonies can persist for centuries.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Invasive plant species competing for light, habitat destruction, and excessive browsing by overpopulated white-tailed deer.
- Safe to approach?
- This species is entirely harmless. Humans can safely approach gray dogwood to admire its foliage and flowers. While the white berries are crucial food for birds, they are bitter and can cause mild stomach upset in humans if consumed in large quantities; do not ingest them.
Cornus racemosa , the northern swamp dogwood , gray dogwood or panicle dogwood , is a shrubby plant native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It is a member of the dogwood genus Cornus and the family Cornaceae.
Photo: Benny Mazur, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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