Cornus foemina
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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: | Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance |
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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Stays Wet ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Stays Wet ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Loam, Organic material (muck), Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Acidic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Birds and small mammals consume the fruit. | |
| Insects: | Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies. Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon). | |
| Native Habitats: | Riverine swamps, bluffs, bluffs, gum swamps. Typically in areas of relatively brief, shallow inundation. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures