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 | |
Scientific 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
editCornus 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
editRoundleaf 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
editRoundleaf dogwood is listed as endangered in Maryland and is a species of special concern in Rhode Island.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Cornus rugosa". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ a b NRCS. "Cornus rugosa". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Cornus rugosa". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Rhoads, Ann Fowler; Block, Timothy A. (5 September 2007). The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-0-8122-4003-0.
- ^ Meades, Susan J. "Cornus rugosa". Northern Ontario Plant Database. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Plant Detail: Cornus rugosa (roundleaf dogwood)". Native Plants Database. Evergreen. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
