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Brown Dogwood
Cornus glabrata
  
About Brown Dogwood (Cornus glabrata) 17 Nurseries Carry This Plant Cornus glabrata is a species in the Cornaceae (Dogwood) family native to California and Oregon and known by the common name Brown Dogwood and several other names. It is found in the Coast Ranges and the Sierra foothills, below 5,000 ft., and on some of the Channel Islands. This is a large shrub or thicket-forming bush with very limber branches that often come down to the ground and root to form new plants. It also spreads by root suckers. The bark may be brown, reddish or purple, giving it interest in winter when it is leafless. The bright green leaves turn red in fall. It bears plentiful clusters of fuzzy white flowers and bluish-white berries. This shrub is most often found near water, usually directly on the bank of a water source, but it can become less thirsty in the garden by periodic deep watering.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub, Tree

Size
Size
4.9 - 20 ft tall

Form
Form
Weeping

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
White, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Numerous birds are attracted to the flowers and berries. Some butterflies use Dogwoods as host plant including the Echo Blue and Spring Azure, and many others use it for nectaring.

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Trees - Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Santa Lucia Fir (Abies bracteata), Duoglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and many others. Shrubs and herbs - Meadow Rue (Thalictrum fendleri), Snowdrop Bush (Styrax officinalis), Yellow Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus), Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Prune to shape in late fall after leaves have dropped

Propagation
Propagation?
By cuttings of the stem or rhizome

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist places such as stream banks, often in the shade of larger trees

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 9.2" - 89.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.16" - 3.68", Coldest Month: 32.4" - 55.8", Hottest Month: 53.9" - 79.2", Humidity: 0.10" - 26.95", Elevation: 0" - 7368"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Several Other Names, Smooth Dogwood


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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