Northern swamp dogwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern swamp dogwood |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cornus
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| Species: |
racemosa
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| Natural range of Cornus racemosa | |
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The Gray Dogwood (scientific name: Cornus racemosa) is a type of shrub that grows naturally in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It's also known as the northern swamp dogwood or panicle dogwood. This plant belongs to the dogwood group, called Cornus, and is part of the plant family called Cornaceae.
What the Gray Dogwood Looks Like
The Gray Dogwood usually grows about 1.2 to 3 meters (4 to 10 feet) tall. Sometimes, it can even reach up to 8 meters (26 feet)! This plant often sends up new shoots, called suckers, from its underground stems, known as rhizomes. This helps it form thick, dense groups of plants.
The bark of the Gray Dogwood is gray. Its young branches, or twigs, have a soft, white center called pith. The leaves are about 4 to 8 centimeters (1.5 to 3 inches) long and 1 to 4 centimeters (0.4 to 1.5 inches) wide. They usually have 3 or 4 pairs of side veins, which is fewer than other dogwood types.
This plant grows upright and has a rounded shape. Its leaves grow in pairs directly opposite each other on the stem.
Flowers and Fruit
The Gray Dogwood produces small, white flowers. Each flower has four petals, about 2.3 to 3 millimeters (0.09 to 0.12 inches) long. These flowers grow in rounded clusters, about 2.5 to 5 centimeters (1 to 2 inches) wide. They bloom sometime between May and July.
After the flowers bloom, small green fruits start to grow. These fruits are a type of drupe, which means they have a hard pit inside. They ripen and turn white between August and October. Both the flowers and the fruits are attached to the plant by bright red stems called pedicels. Many different kinds of birds enjoy eating these fruits.
Older branches of the Gray Dogwood grow slowly, but new stems grow quickly. In the fall, the leaves can turn a reddish or purplish color.
How Gray Dogwood is Classified
Cornus racemosa is sometimes considered a type of Cornus foemina Mill., because they grow in similar areas.
The Gray Dogwood can sometimes hybridize (mix genes) with another plant called Cornus amomum (silky dogwood). When they do, the new plant created is named Cornus × arnoldiana.
See also
In Spanish: Cornus racemosa para niños
