Dogwood Family [Cornaceae] |
Flowers: |
Berries: (inedible) |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
type
stem
toxicity
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 Dogwoodwhich 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), Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature :
Just like |
Cornus | alba | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Cornaceae |
Cornus (Dogwoods) |
Dogwood Family [Cornaceae] |