Habitat

• native to the eastern North America
• hardy to zone 4, possibly warmer parts of 3

Habit and Form

• a suckering shrub with a distinctly multi-stemmed habit
• branching is upright and erect
• shape is an irregular, broad-spreading clump
• 10' to 15' tall with an equal spread
• plants can become a bit leggy with age
• deciduous

Summer Foliage

• opposite, simple leaves
• leaves have a narrow elliptical shape and an acuminate tip
• leaves are 2" to 4" long and 1" to 2" wide
• leaf color is a dull gray-green

Autumn Foliage

• develops a rich, reddish purple in full exposure

Flowers

• small, creamy white flowers
• held in 2" diameter clusters
• bloom time is early to mid-June
• not extremely showy, but numerous

Fruit

• produces white fruit, about 0.25' diameter
• readily eaten by birds
• pedicels develop a vivid reddish pink color and are more showy than the actual fruit
• colored pedicels affective into winter

Bark

• older stems are a light gray
• younger stems are orange-brown
• bark and winter branch pattern are effective ornamentally

Culture

• tolerant of sun or shade
• also tolerant of dry or wet soils
• easily transplanted
• very adaptable
• periodic rejuvenation pruning may be useful

Landscape Use

• border
• hedge
• difficult growing sites
• naturalistic areas
• soil stabilization
• wildlife food and shelter

Liabilities

• leaf spot
• scale relatively problem free

ID Features

• colonizing, suckering habit (thicket forming)
• orange-brown twigs
• coral pink pedicels
• white fruit
• ash-gray older bark
• narrow black hand just below the leaf scar

Propagation

• by seed
• by cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

New on the market is The Counties of Ohio™ series of gray dogwoods out of Lake County Nursery. Selections include:

'Cuyzam' (Cuyahoga™) - A 12' to 15' tall "tree" form. Plant shape is pyramidal.

'Geazam' (Geauga™) - A dense, multi-stemmed shrub form reaching 8' to 10' tall and 4' wide. Leaf color is black-green with red-brown new growth.

'Hurzam' (Huron™) - Notable for its multi-stemmed, rounded globular form to 4' tall and wide. Good deep red fall color.

'Mahzam' (Mahoning™) - A large stoloniferous shrubby form, growing 10' tall with good gray winter stem color. A suitable plant for stabilizing soil.

'Muszam' (Muckingum™ )- A dwarf form that grows 2' tall, with a 4' spread. Should be useful as a bank cover or ground cover.

'Ottzam' (Ottawa™) - A fastigiate tree form growing narrow to 12' tall and 6' wide. Perhaps useful under power lines or in moist situations.

Also seen occasionally:

'Slavinii' (also known as Slavin's Dwarf) - A dwarf form that grows 2-3' tall with a 4' spread. Suckers readily and maintains a nice dense habit. Internodes are short and the leaves are slightly twisted.