Creek Dogwood, Cornus sericea ssp. sericea

About Creek Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) 13 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Creek Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It was formerly known as Cornus stolonifera and is still referred to by that name in some sources. It is moderately fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in a semi-upright form to a height of up to 15 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. It is noted for its red bark, especially on new growth. Flowers are white and striking, and bloom in the spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. Fall foliage is colorful. The fruit is a cluster of small round berries ranging in color from white to gold to blue. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 0-9000 feet.

Creek Dogwood requires moist soil and part shade. It performs best in woodland settings.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

4 - 15 ft tall
12 ft wide

Form

Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

Slight

Flower Color

White, Red

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Birds love the berries
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 42 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

Filament Bearer Nematocampa resistariaNematocampa resistaria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 13

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates clay soil. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 4.0 - 7.0

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

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

Prune annually to shape and to stimulate new growth with red stems

Propagation?

From seed, layering or cuttings. For propagating by seed: Soak in concentrated H2S04 1 hr. and 3-4 mos. stratification (USDA Forest Service 1974). 2 mos. warm stratification in lieu of acid bath may give equally good germination. 3 mos. stratification only may also give good germination ( Peterson 1953).

Natural Setting

Site Type

Moist places, creeksides and mountain slopes up to 9,000 ft. throughout much of the state, as well as extensively outside of California. It is typically found in woodlands in conjunction with firs, pines and other trees

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.7" - 155.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.16" - 5.84", Coldest Month: 23.3" - 55.8", Hottest Month: 47.4" - 79.3", Humidity: 0.09" - 30.26", Elevation: -12" - 10329"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Cornus stolonifera
Common Names: American Dogwood, Redosier Dogwood

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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

Creek Dogwood

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea

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Creek DogwoodCornus sericea ssp. sericea

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Creek Dogwood

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea