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Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator
Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat
C:N Ratio	High
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	No
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	White
Flower Conspicuous	Yes
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Dense
Foliage Porosity Winter	Moderate
Foliage Texture	Coarse
Fruit/Seed Color	Brown
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	Yes
Growth Form	Rhizomatous
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	6
Height, Mature (feet)	15
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	No
Shape and Orientation	Erect
Toxicity	None
Growth Requirements
Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils	No
Adapted to Fine Textured Soils	Yes
Adapted to Medium Textured Soils	Yes
Anaerobic Tolerance	Low
CaCO3 Tolerance	Low
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	Medium
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	High
Frost Free Days, Minimum	100
Hedge Tolerance	Medium
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	5
pH, Maximum	7
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	1200
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	4800
Precipitation, Minimum	28
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	16
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Tolerant
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-33
Reproduction
Bloom Period	Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Spring
Fruit/Seed Period End	Summer
Fruit/Seed Persistence	No
Propagated by Bare Root	Yes
Propagated by Bulb	No
Propagated by Container	Yes
Propagated by Corm	No
Propagated by Cuttings	No
Propagated by Seed	Yes
Propagated by Sod	No
Propagated by Sprigs	No
Propagated by Tubers	No
Seed per Pound	13000
Seed Spread Rate	Slow
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Slow
Suitability/Use
Berry/Nut/Seed Product	No
Christmas Tree Product	No
Fodder Product	No
Fuelwood Product	None
Lumber Product	No
Naval Store Product	No
Nursery Stock Product	No
Palatable Browse Animal	Low
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential	Low
Pulpwood Product	No
Veneer Product	No

 

Kingdom  Plantae -- Plants

Subkingdom  Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants

Superdivision  Spermatophyta -- Seed plants

Division  Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants

Class  Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons

Subclass  Rosidae

Order  Cornales

Family  Cornaceae -- Dogwood family

Genus  Cornus L. -- dogwood P

Species  Cornus racemosa Lam. -- gray dogwood P

 

Uses

Gray dogwood is useful as a low-growing wild hedge which provides summer food and some cover for small animals and birds.

 

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

 

Description

Cornus racemosa Lam, gray dogwood, is a thickly branched, slow growing dogwood seldom more than 6 feet high at maturity.  Its flowers, which bloom in June or July, are white and loosely clustered, and its white fruit, which appears in September and October, is set off by bright red fruit-stalks.  Its leaves are opposite, taper-pointed and oval.

 

Adaptation

Gray dogwood has a range of adaptability equaled by few other shrubs, and it tolerates many climatic conditions.  Tolerance to shade is considered intermediate.  It is not well adapted to coastal plain conditions.

 

Gray dogwood is distributed throughout the northeastern United States.  For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

 

Establishment

Only seedlings of gray dogwood are practical.  All should be planted as early in the spring as possible.  When using dogwood for streambank planting, eroded or steep banks should be graded before planting.  Plant in the early spring with dormant planting stock. Planting after May will severely reduce chances for success.  One-year rooted cuttings or seedlings can be planted vertically into the bank with one or two inches of cutting wood protruding.  They should be stuck in a hole large enough to accommodate the root system when well spread.  The soil must be tamped well around the roots.  Fresh, unrooted hardwood cuttings, easier to handle but less reliable, should be stuck vertically into the bank, leaving one to two inches above ground.  A dibble can be used to make a hole.  Tamp adequately to provide complete contact between the cutting and the soil.  Cuttings may also be buried horizontally two inches deep in damp soil, if the ground is stony.  Fresh hardwood cuttings, 3/8 to 1/2 inch at the thick end, 9 inches long, and made while dormant, are ideal.  Without cold storage, planting should be done as soon as possible after cutting.  Plant both rooted cuttings and unrooted hardwood cuttings on 2 feet spacing in a diamond pattern.

 

When using for wildlife or screening purposes, the planting site should be cultivated to destroy existing vegetation.  If not, the sod should be removed from an area two feet across for each plant. The holes should be deep enough to allow for the full extension of the roots.  Spacing for hedges and screens should be staggered and 2 x 2 feet, and 4 to 5 feet for windbreaks.  A small handful of fertilizer can be placed around each plant.

 

Management

Dogwoods used on streambanks are subject to mechanical damage.  The site should be inspected annually for needed repairs in the spring after heavy runoff or ice floes.  Fill in gaps by replanting or by laying down and covering branches of nearby plants.  Any mechanical measures used to control the bank, such as riprap, must be kept in repair to maintain effective protection.

 

Competing vegetation should be controlled around all dogwood plants used for hedges, screens, etc.  This is particularly important during the first few years after planting.

 

Pests and Potential Problems

There are currently no serious pests of gray dogwood.

 

Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

No cultivars are available at this time, however common seedlings are available at most commercial hardwood nurseries.

 

Prepared By & Species Coordinator:

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

 

Edited: 01Feb2002 JLK; 25may06jsp

 

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site<https://plants.usda.gov> or the Plant Materials Program Web site <https://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov>

 

 

 

Attribution:  U.S. Department of Agriculture