Red Osier Dogwood

Appearance

In the wild, it most commonly grows in areas of rich, poorly drained soils, such as riparian zones and wetlands, or in upland areas which receive more than 20 inches of precipitation annually. More uncommonly, it may be found in drier zones albeit at lesser abundance. Red osier dogwood is tolerant of flooding and has been known to survive up to seven years of water above root crown level. It occurs from sea level to 10,000 feet, but in many areas is most common above 1,500 feet.

It is a medium to tall deciduous shrub, growing 1.5–4 m tall and 3–5 m wide, spreading readily by underground stolons to form dense thickets. The branches and twigs are dark red, although wild plants may lack this coloration in shaded areas.

The leaves are opposite, 5–12 cm long and 2.5–6 cm broad, with an ovate to oblong shape and an entire margin; they are dark green above and glaucous below; fall color is commonly bright red to purple. Like all dogwoods, they have characteristic stringy white piths within the leaf stalks, which can be used for identification.

The flowers are small, flat, umbella-like and dull white, in clusters 3–6 cm diameter.

The fruit is a globose white berry 5–9 mm diameter.

The Latin specific epithet "sericea" means "silky", referring to the texture of the leaves.

Naming

It is a variable species, with two subspecies commonly accepted:
⤷ "Cornus sericea" subsp. "sericea" – throughout the range of the species. Shoots and leaves hairless or finely pubescent; flower petals 2–3 mm.
⤷ "Cornus sericea" subsp. "occidentalis" Fosberg – western North America. Shoots and leaves densely pubescent; flower petals 3–4.5 mm.

Distribution

It is native throughout boreal and temperate zones in northern and western North America from Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to Durango and Nuevo León in the west, and Illinois and Virginia in the east.

⤷ "Cornus sericea" L. has been recorded from counties Antrim and Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

Habitat

Red osier dogwood provides food and cover for many species of mammals and birds. The stems and especially new shoots are browsed by moose, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, beavers, and rabbits, while the fruits are an important autumn food source for bears, small mammals, and 47 different bird species. In winter, red osier dogwood is heavily browsed by ungulates; in some areas use exceeds availability and individuals which have not been browsed are rare. The shrub is also important for nesting habitat and cover for a great variety of animals.

"Cornus sericea" is shade tolerant but prefers intermediate to high light levels. It tolerates disturbance well, and appears early in both primary and secondary succession throughout its native range, but especially in floodplains and riparian zones. It thrives in fire-disturbed sites, sprouting from seeds or damaged shrubs.

Although its conservation status is overall secure, it is considered vulnerable in Iowa and critically imperiled in Kentucky and Virginia.

Uses

"Cornus sericea" is frequently used for waterway bank erosion protection and restoration in the United States and Canada. Its root system provides excellent soil retention, it is hardy and provides an attractive shrub even when bare in winter, and its ability to be reproduced by cuttings makes it a low-cost solution for large-scale plantings.

Some Plateau Indigenous tribes ate the berries to treat colds and to slow bleeding.

Known as "cansasa" in Lakota, the inner bark was also used by the Lakota and other Native Americans as "traditional tobacco", either by itself or in a mixture with other plant materials....hieroglyph snipped... Among the Algonquian peoples such as the Ojibwe, the smoking mixtures, known as kinnikinnick, blended the inner bark with tobacco, while more western tribes added it to the bearberry leaf to improve the taste.

The Ojibwe used red-osier dogwood bark as a dye by taking the inner bark and mixing it with other plants or minerals.

The withies, or osiers, are used in basketry.