WHITE DOGWOOD

Cornus alba

Dogwood Family [Cornaceae]

Flowers:
month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

Berries: berryZpossible        berryZgreen berryZwhite  (inedible)
berry8aug berry8sep berry8sept berry8oct berry8nov

status
statusZneophyte		 flower
flower8white		 inner
inner8cream		 morph
morph8actino		 petals
petalsZ4		 type
typeZclustered		 type
typeZumbel		 stem
stem8round		 toxicity
toxicityZlowish

8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Many upright stems close together taking on the appearance of a single shrub, standing up to 1.3m tall.


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are opposite and deciduous and have 6 (or 7) pairs of curving lateral veins (whereas Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) has just 5)


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Flowers white to cream.


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Unopened flower buds have a squarish appearance from above.


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Flowers bisexual with four white petals with four stamens and an ovary in an almost flat umbel or corymb.


26th June 2013, Darcy Lever Gravel Quarry, Bolton, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Developing fruits beneath flowers some still with petals on.


26th June 2013, Darcy Lever Gravel Quarry, Bolton, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The developing fruits are at first green and barrel-shaped with a brown torroidal doughnut around the bottom of the long pale style with a stubby discoidal stigma atop, which can be white or brown.


26th June 2013, Darcy Lever Gravel Quarry, Bolton, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
With all the petals having dropped off the multiple forking of the petioles can be discerned. The leaves are in opposite pairs which come from the start of a 'telescopic' stem extension.


22nd Sept 2012, Parbold, Leeds & L/pool Canal, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Berries can be either creamy-white, white, or bluish-white.


22nd Sept 2012, Parbold, Leeds & L/pool Canal, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The stones are in the shape of flattened ellipsoids (rather than the flattened sub-globose for Red-Osier Dogwood).


22nd Sept 2012, Parbold, Leeds & L/pool Canal, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Berries green at first becoming white when ripe (see image above this one)


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
Leaves stately finished and poised with few if any minor warps or wrinkles.


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The stems are red, like many other Dogwoods.


8th Aug 2007, park, Burnley, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
About the only distinguishing feature said to be exhibited by White Dogwood over that of the otherwise very similar Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) are the wide leaves that abruptly taper to a concave point (the botanical term is 'abruptly acuminate') at the apex, unlike Red-Osier Dogwood which is said to taper gradually to a concave point ('tapering-acuminate').

Not to be semantically confused with : Crested Dog's-tail, (Cynosurus cristatus), Dog's Mercury, (Mercurialis perennis), Dog Rose, (Rosa canina), Common Dog-Violet, (Viola riviniana) [plants with similar names in differing families]

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

Just like Red-Osier Dogwood, the berries are white or cream to pale blue. Because the leaves are said to be the only difference between the two some authorities think that they may in actual fact be one and the same plant.

  Cornus alba  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Cornaceae  

Distribution
family8Dogwood family8Cornaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Cornus
Cornus
(Dogwoods)

WHITE DOGWOOD

Cornus alba

Dogwood Family [Cornaceae]