Cornus amomum
Silky Dogwood
Cornaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to the eastern United States
- zone 4
Habit and Form
- a deciduous tree
- rounded habit
- multistemmed
- 6' to 10' tall
- width is similar to height
- coarse texture
- fast growth rate
Summer Foliage
- opposite leaf arrangement
- simple, deciduous leaves
- elliptic leaf shape
- 2" to 4" long by up to 2" wide
- rounded leaf base
- wavy leaf margins
- pubescent petioles and veins
- medium green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- no fall color
- leaves change from green to brown
Flowers
- creamy, white flowers
- flowering occurs in late May and early June
- flowers borne in cymes, 1.5" across to 2.5"
Fruit
- blue drupe
- 0.25" across
- favorite or birds
- showy
Bark
- brown to maroon bark color
- fissures
- slender stems with pubescence
Culture
- readily transplanted
- prefers moist, fertile soil
- full sun to partial shade
Landscape Use
- wet sites
- naturalized areas
- massing or grouping
- border
- difficult sites
Liabilities
- scale
- can look unkempt
ID Features
- a deciduous shrub
- flower buds are terminal, hairy and valvate
- vegetative buds are pubescent, appressed and valvate
- flat clusters of small white flowers in late spring
- smooth reddish-brown bark on young branches
Propagation
- by seed
- by cuttings
Cultivars/Varieties
- none are commonly available