Redosier Dogwood, Redtwig Dogwood                KOR-nus ser-EE-se-a

• Broadleaf deciduous shrub, 7-9 ft (2-3 m) high, spreading to 10 ft (3 m), multi-stemmed, young branches red, loose, some branches procumbent, spreads by underground stems (stolons).  Leaves opposite, simple, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 5-13 cm long, dark green above, blue-green below, apex long-acuminate, rounded at base, 5-7 vein pairs.  Flowers small, dull white, in clusters (cymes) 3-5 cm across.  Fruit is green when young then white, globose, 6-9 mm.
• Sun.  Very adaptable to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. Does best in moist soil, in the wild often observed in wet swampy areas.   A good shrub for a riparian zones.  Red stems, appealing in a winter setting.  Difficult to separate from C. alba using winter characteristics.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 2     Native range extends over much of North America, except southeastern and lower midwestern states.   Hitchocock and Cronquist (1973) consider Cornus stolonifera var. occidentalis as the form common to the Northwest.  This is sometimes listed as Cornus occidentalis.
• A number of clones are available, some of the more common ones include:
  • ‘Baileyi’  (syn. C. s. var. balieyi): to 9ft (2.7 m), fruit is white then blue
  • ‘Cardinal’: a bright red stemmed form
  • ‘Flaviramia’: has yellow or golden stems
  • ‘Isanti’: to 6 ft (1.8 m), red stem color, shorter internodes so plant is rather dense
  • ‘Kelseyi’: a low growing, compact shrub, bright red to red-brown.
• sericea: silky
• redosier: this common name apparently is in reference to the resemblance of the reddish stems to those of some willows called osiers, used in basketry (e.g., Salix purpurea).  Thin redosier stems can be used in weavings and as basket rims.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: south of Education Hall