Cornus rugosa explained

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.

Description

Cornus rugosa is a shrub or small tree, 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.[1] 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 wide and contain 20–50 flowers. Fruits are blue to greenish white drupe that matures in October.[2] [3]

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

Ecology

Roundleaf dogwood is a host species for the spring azure and gossamer wings.[4]

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

Conservation

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

Notes and References

  1. Book: Petrides, George A. . . A field guide to trees and shrubs: northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and south-central Canada . 1986 . Houghton Mifflin . Boston . 0-395-13651-2 . 2nd . registration .
  2. Book: Rhoads . Ann Fowler . Block . Timothy A. . The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual . 5 September 2007 . 978-0-8122-4003-0 . 2nd.
  3. Web site: Cornus rugosa . Northern Ontario Plant Database . Susan J. . Meades . 8 November 2015.
  4. Web site: Plant Detail: Cornus rugosa (roundleaf dogwood) . Native Plants Database . Evergreen . 8 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103039/http://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=00769 . 2016-03-04.