Western Dogwood, Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis

About Western Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis) 7 Nurseries Carry This Plant

Add to My Plant List

Western Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in a semi-upright form to a height of 16 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are white and striking, and bloom in the summer. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 0-8000 feet.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

8 - 16 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Flower Color

White, Cream

Flowering Season

Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 40 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemusAntheraea polyphemus

Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth Orthosia hibisciOrthosia hibisci

Red-Humped Caterpillar Schizura concinnaSchizura concinna

Forest Tent Caterpillar Malacosoma disstriaMalacosoma disstria

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Salt-and-Pepper Geometer Biston betulariaBiston betularia

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Nurseries

Carried by 7

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as sufficient moisture is available

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist places

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 13.1" - 131.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 4.41", Coldest Month: 24.3" - 55.2", Hottest Month: 48.0" - 79.3", Humidity: 0.01" - 24.36", Elevation: 3" - 9567"

Alternative Names

Common Names: American Dogwood

Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label

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

Western Dogwood

Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Western DogwoodCornus sericea ssp. occidentalis

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Western Dogwood

Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis