Cornus drummondii: rough-leaf dogwood [cornel, osier]

Family: Cornaceae [dogwood], allied with the ericoid group.

Form: large colonial shrub, with some stems up to 10-20 ft tall.

Range: central North America, especially the central and lower Mississippi drainage; frequent in base-rich regions of Kentucky.

Habitat: thickets and thin woods on base-rich soils; fairly wet to fairly dry conditions; roadsides, wood-pastures, stream-banks.

Consumers: fruits often rapidly taken by many birds in the fall; leaves moderately palatable to browsing mammals, and occasionally skeletonized by dogwood sawfly larvae, but plants recover quickly.

Growing notes: seed germinates well after winter; often dispersed into nearby woods or fields; with rapid potential growth and a habit somewhat similar to the Asian bush honeysuckles, this species offers the best native substitute for those invasive aliens in our woodlands.

Roughleaf Dogwood leaves and berries
Roughleaf Dogwood leaves and berries. Image: https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/178382/

 

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