Cornus foemina
swamp dogwood, stiff cornel
Cornaceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
tree
Size:
10-30 ft tall by 10-20 ft wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
white
Fruit Color:
blue
Phenology:
Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits summer-early fall. Likely lives 50 yrs. or less.
Noted For:
Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Bark
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Use along streams or edges of retention areas. Can be a screen or specimen tree in moist areas. Blooms better in moderate to high light settings.
Considerations:
Light:
Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade
Moisture Tolerance:
Stays wet ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Unknown
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand, Loam
Suitable to Grow In:
8A,8B,9A,9B,10A
Ecology
Wildlife:
Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals
Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies.
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth ( Hyalophora cecropia ) and spring azure butterfly ( Celastrina ladon ).
Birds and small mammals consume the fruit.
Native Habitats:
Riverine swamps, bluffs, bluffs, gum swamps. Typically in areas of relatively brief, shallow inundation.
