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Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Cornus nuttallii

Cornus nuttallii Audubon ex Torr. & A. Gray

Pacific Dogwood, Pacific Flowering Dogwood, Mountain Dogwood

Cornaceae (Dogwood Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: conu4

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

Tree with dense, conical or rounded crown of often horizontal branches and with beautiful white flower clusters. This is the west coast edition of Cornus florida. It is a 15-40 ft., sometimes taller, single- or multi-trunked tree or shrub with a spreading crown and large, showy, creamy white blossoms sometimes flushed with pink. Graceful, horizontal-tiered branching; orange to red fruits; and yellow-orange, fall foliage are other landscape attributes. Pacific flowering dogwood is deciduous.

Pacific Dogwood is one of the most handsome native ornamental trees on the Pacific Coast, with very showy flowers and fruit. The head of flowers with surrounding, petal-like bracts resembles a huge flower and is commonly so called. The "flower" is larger than that of the eastern Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida L.), usually having 6 bracts instead of 4. John James Audubon (1780-1851), the American ornithologist and artist, who painted this tree in his famous work Birds of America, named it for its collector, Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859), the British-American botanist and ornithologist.

The genus cornus is Latin for a horn.

From the Image Gallery

5 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: Up to about 60 feet tall, often much shorter.
Leaf: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Red

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink , Yellow , Green
Bloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul

Distribution

USA: CA , ID , OR , WA
Canada: BC
Native Distribution: Throughout CA, n. to B.C. & w. to ID
Native Habitat: Mt. woods & stream banks between 3000-6000 ft.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry , Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: None
Soil Description: Well-drained, rich soil.
Conditions Comments: This species appreciates summer humidity. Well-established trees suffer from extra summer watering. The tree is easy prey to a fungus disease if it has been wounded, so a buffer against lawnmower damage should be provided.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Fruits attract water, ground and songbirds, squirrels and deer.
Use Other: Native Americans used branches in basketry.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds

Propagation

Description: Sow seeds outdoors immediately after collection or stratify and sow the following spring. The fleshy coat should be removed. This species will root from softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings taken in summer, but success is not as high as with the eastern f
Seed Treatment: Stratify for 30-60 days at 41 degrees.
Commercially Avail: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Advice on planting Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa) in Vancouver, BC
October 26, 2007
I live in the Vancouver, BC - Pacific Northwest area and the front of our yard faces south to southwest. If I were to plant a tree other than an evergreen, would the Korean Dogwood thrive in this are...
view the full question and answer

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:			FACU							FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 3 - Flora of North America (2014) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Cornus nuttallii in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Cornus nuttallii in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cornus nuttallii

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-03
Research By: TWC Staff

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