Plant Guide with Characteristics, Classification, and other detailed information

Plant Guide

Cornus foemina P. Mill.
stiff dogwood
COFO

Summary
Duration	Perennial
Growth Habit	Tree, Shrub
U.S. Nativity	Native to U.S.
Federal T/E Status
National Wetland Indicator	FAC, FACW

Morphology/Physiology
Active Growth Period	Spring and Summer
After Harvest Regrowth Rate
Bloat	None
C:N Ratio	Medium
Coppice Potential	No
Fall Conspicuous	Yes
Fire Resistant	No
Flower Color	White
Flower Conspicuous	Yes
Foliage Color	Green
Foliage Porosity Summer	Moderate
Foliage Porosity Winter	Porous
Foliage Texture	Fine
Fruit/Seed Color	Black
Fruit/Seed Conspicuous	Yes
Growth Form	Thicket Forming
Growth Rate	Moderate
Height at 20 Years, Maximum (feet)	16
Height, Mature (feet)	16
Known Allelopath	No
Leaf Retention	No
Lifespan	Moderate
Low Growing Grass	No
Nitrogen Fixation
Resprout Ability	Yes
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	Medium
CaCO3 Tolerance	Low
Cold Stratification Required	Yes
Drought Tolerance	Low
Fertility Requirement	Medium
Fire Tolerance	Medium
Frost Free Days, Minimum	240
Hedge Tolerance	Low
Moisture Use	Medium
pH, Minimum	5.8
pH, Maximum	7.2
Planting Density per Acre, Minimum	1200
Planting Density per Acre, Maximum	1700
Precipitation, Minimum	36
Precipitation, Maximum	60
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)	16
Salinity Tolerance	None
Shade Tolerance	Intermediate
Temperature, Minimum (°F)	-3

Reproduction
Bloom Period	Mid Spring
Commercial Availability	Routinely Available
Fruit/Seed Abundance	Medium
Fruit/Seed Period Begin	Summer
Fruit/Seed Period End	Fall
Fruit/Seed Persistence	Yes
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	12000
Seed Spread Rate	Moderate
Seedling Vigor	Medium
Small Grain	No
Vegetative Spread Rate	Moderate

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	Medium
Palatable Graze Animal	Low
Palatable Human	No
Post Product	No
Protein Potential
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 foemina P. Mill. -- stiff dogwood P

Uses

Wildlife: Fruits are eaten by several species of birds including quail, catbirds, mockingbirds, robins, and brown thrashers.

Recreation and Beautification: Excellent landscape tree for its very attractive form and profuse white flowers. Frequently used for massing or naturalizing, screen and border.

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 foemina P. Mill., swamp dogwood, is primarily found along the coastal plain from eastern Virginia to central Florida, west to Louisiana and north to southeastern Missouri. It is a deciduous small tree to large shrub, growing to 15 ft in height, with multiple trunks, 4 inches in diameter. Its bark is thick and smooth, frequently furrowed with shallow ridges exposing gray inner bark. The plant’s leaves are opposite and oval-shaped, with smooth margins. Flowers are creamy white, loose, and small; they occur in flat topped clusters without showy bracts. Fruits are small, open clusters of bluish to purple drupes (fleshy, one-seeded fruits).

Adaptation and Distribution

Swamp dogwood generally grows in swampy, low wetland habitats, barrier islands, and along streams, riverbanks, marshes and creeks. It is found growing along ditches on the second road back from the ocean at Emerald Isle and found to exhibit moderate salt tolerance.

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

Establishment

Like most dogwoods, this species can be grown easily from seeds collected from mature, native trees and from softwood cuttings. Seeds at maturity must be either planted immediately or prechilled. Seeds sown in nursery beds should be covered with ¼ to ½ inch of soil and mulched during the winter.

Management

Plant in moist soils in full sun to partial shade as it is tolerant to wet and/or low fertility soils. It requires little maintenance in naturalized settings. When used for massing, pruning to within a few inches of the ground every few years promotes fullness.

Pests and Potential Problems

This plant has no serious insects and diseases except occasional infestation by scale insects and leaf spot.

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

None recommended. Plants are not readily available from 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