View source for Cornus

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the dogwood family Cornaceae}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Dogwood}}
{{For|the northern mountain ash known as Dogberry|Sorbus decora}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Bgbo cornus kousa var chinensis ies.jpg
| image_caption = ''Cornus kousa'' var. ''chinensis''
|fossil_range = [[Campanian|Late Campanian]]–[[Holocene]], {{fossil range|73|0|ref=<ref name="Parfrey2011">{{cite journal|last1=Atkinson|first1=Brian A.|last2=Stockey|first2=Ruth A.|last3=Rothwell|first3=Gar W.|title=Cretaceous origin of dogwoods: an anatomically preserved ''Cornus'' (Cornaceae) fruit from the Campanian of Vancouver Island|journal=[[PeerJ]]|date=2016|volume=4|article-number=e2808|doi=10.7717/peerj.2808|pmid=28028474|pmc=5180587 |doi-access=free }}</ref>}}
| taxon = Cornus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| type_species = ''[[Cornus mas]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Subgenera
| subdivision =
* ''Afrocrania''
* ''Arctocrania''
* ''Cornus''
* ''Cynoxylon''
* ''Discocrania''
* ''Kraniopsis''
* ''Mesomora''
* ''Sinocornus''
* ''Syncarpea''
* ''Yinquania''
|synonyms = ''Chamaepericlimenum'' {{small|Hill}}
}}

[[File:Cornus unalaschkensis 8561f.JPG|right|thumb|In species such as this ''[[Cornus × unalaschkensis]]'', the tiny four-petaled flowers are clustered in a tightly packed, flattened [[cyme (botany)|cyme]] at the center of four showy white petal-like [[bract]]s.]]
[[File:Cornus mas F.jpg|right|thumb|''[[Cornus mas]]'']]
[[File:Blooming Dogwood.jpg|right|thumb|''[[Cornus florida]]'' in spring]]
[[File:Cornus drummondii1.jpg|right|thumb|''[[Cornus drummondii]]'' in flower]]
[[Image:Bunchberry plants.jpg|right|thumb|Mature and immature flowers of ''[[Cornus canadensis]]'', [[Bonnechere Provincial Park]], [[Ontario]]]]
[[File:Cornus-canadensis2.JPG|right|thumb|''[[Cornus canadensis]]'' fruit]]
[[File:Dogwood blossom.jpg|thumb|Spring budding]]
'''''Cornus''''' is a [[genus]] of about 30–60 [[species]]{{refn|58 species according to Xiang ''et al.'' (2006)<ref>{{cite journal |author=Qiu-Yun (Jenny) Xiang |author2=David T. Thomas |author3=Wenheng Zhang |author4=Steven R. Manchester |author5=Zack Murrell |year=2006 |title=Species level phylogeny of the genus ''Cornus'' (Cornaceae) based on molecular and morphological evidence – implications for taxonomy and Tertiary intercontinental migration |journal=[[Taxon (journal)|Taxon]] |volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=9–30 |jstor=25065525 |doi=10.2307/25065525 |bibcode=2006Taxon..55....9X }}</ref>|group=Note}} of [[woody plant]]s in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Cornaceae]], commonly known as '''dogwoods''' or '''cornels''', which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark.<ref>{{cite web|title=Notable Characteristics of Dogwood Trees|url=http://forestry.answers.com/tree-identification/tree-identification-notable-characteristics-of-dogwood-trees|publisher=answers.com|access-date=August 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826114742/http://forestry.answers.com/tree-identification/tree-identification-notable-characteristics-of-dogwood-trees|archive-date=August 26, 2014}}</ref> Most are [[deciduous]] [[tree]]s or [[shrub]]s, but a few species are nearly herbaceous [[perennial]] subshrubs, and some species are [[evergreen]]. Several species have small heads of inconspicuous flowers surrounded by an [[Involucral bract|involucre]] of large, typically white petal-like [[bracts]], while others have more open clusters of [[petal]]-bearing flowers. The various species of dogwood are [[native plant|native]] throughout much of [[temperateness|temperate]] and [[boreal ecosystem|boreal]] Eurasia and North America, with China, Japan, and the southeastern United States being particularly rich in native species. The genus is also known from South America with members such as Cornus peruviana. 

Species include the common dogwood ''[[Cornus sanguinea]]'' of Eurasia, the widely cultivated flowering dogwood ''([[Cornus florida]])'' of eastern North America, the Pacific dogwood ''[[Cornus nuttallii]]'' of western North America, the Kousa dogwood ''[[Cornus kousa]]'' of eastern Asia, and two low-growing boreal species, the Canadian and Eurasian dwarf cornels (or bunchberries), ''[[Cornus canadensis]]'' and ''[[Cornus suecica]]'' respectively.

Depending on botanical interpretation, the dogwoods are variously divided into one to nine [[genus|genera]] or [[subgenus|subgenera]]; a broadly inclusive genus ''Cornus'' is accepted here.

== Terminology ==
''Cornus'' is the Latin word for the cornel tree, ''[[Cornus mas]]''.
The name ''cornel'' dates to the 1550s, via German from Middle Latin ''cornolium'', ultimately from the diminutive ''cornuculum'', of ''cornum'', the Latin word for the cornel cherry. ''Cornus'' means "horn",<ref name="gledhill">Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9780521866453}} (hardback), {{ISBN|9780521685535}} (paperback).  pp 121</ref>
presumably applied to the cherry after the example of [[:wikt:κερασός|κερασός]], the Greek word for "cherry", which itself is of pre-Greek origin but reminiscent of [[:wikt:κέρας|κέρας]], the Greek word for "horn".

The name "dog-tree" entered the English vocabulary before 1548, becoming "dogwood" by 1614. Once the name dogwood was affixed to this kind of tree, it soon acquired a secondary name as the hound's tree, while the fruits came to be known as "dogberries" or "houndberries" (the latter a name also for the berries of [[Solanum nigrum|black nightshade]], alluding to [[Hecate|Hecate's]] hounds).{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The name was explained, from as early as the 16th century itself, as derived from ''[[:wikt:dag#Etymology 2|dag]]'' "skewer",<ref name=vedel>Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). ''Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow''. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London.</ref><ref name=Fernald>{{cite book|last=Fernald|first=Merritt Lyndon|title=Gray's Manual of Botany|url=https://archive.org/details/graysmanualofbot00gray|url-access=registration|edition=8th|year=1950|publisher=American Book Company|location=New York}}</ref>  as the wood of the tree was said to have been used to make butcher's skewers. This is uncertain, as the form ''*dagwood'' was never attested. It is also possible that the tree was named for its berry, called ''dogberry'' from at least the 1550s, where the implication could be that the quality of the berry is inferior, as it were "fit for a dog".<ref>"the first element sometimes said to have been perhaps dag — compare dagger and dag (v.) "to pierce or stab" (1630s, perhaps 15c.). The trees have hard, white wood that was said to have been used in making butchers' skewers; another name for it was skewer-wood. This explanation is as old as the word itself in English, but the form *dagwood is not attested. Another guess is that the tree was given the name in reference to its fruit, which was called dogberry from 1550s, and dog (n.) had implications of "cheap, inferior" (i.e. "fit for a dog")."
{{cite web |title=dogwood |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Douglas Harper |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/dogwood }}</ref>

[[File:2016-05-08 1452 Cherokee Princess dogwood.png|thumb|Cherokee princess dogwood]]
An older name of the dogwood in English is ''whipple-tree'', occurring in a list of trees (as ''whipultre'') in [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] ''[[The Canterbury Tales|Canterbury Tales]]''.<ref>'' ook, firre, birch, asp, alder, holm, popler /  wilow, elm, plane, ash, box, chasteyn, lind, laurer /  mapul, thorn, beech, hasel, ew, whipultre''  "[[The Knight's Tale]]", verse 2065</ref>
This name is cognate with the [[Middle Low German]] ''wipel-bom'' "cornel", Dutch ''wepe, weype'' "cornel" (the ''wh-'' in Chaucer is unetymological, the word would have been Middle English ''wipel''). The tree was so named for waving its branches, cf. Middle Dutch ''wepelen'' "totter, waver", Frisian ''wepeln'', German ''wippen''.<ref>[[Walter William Skeat]],  ''A Student's Pastime: Being a Select Series of Articles Reprinted from "Notes and Queries"'', Clarendon Press, 1896, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wVdRi0b8gqwC&pg=PA252 p. 252].</ref>

The name ''[[whippletree (mechanism)|whippletree]]'', also ''whiffle-tree'', now refers to an element of the traction of a horse-drawn cart linking the draw pole of the cart to the harnesses of the horses in file. In this sense it is first recorded in 1733. This mechanism was usually made from oak or ash (and not from dogwood),  and it is unlikely that there is a connection to the name for ''whipple-tree'' for Cornus.<ref>William Shepard Walsh et al. (eds.), ''American Notes and Queries'' vol. 5 (1890) p. 118</ref>

==Description==
Dogwoods have simple, untoothed [[leaf|leaves]] with the [[leaf vein|veins]] curving distinctively as they approach the leaf margins. Most dogwood species have opposite leaves, while a few, such as ''Cornus alternifolia'' and ''C. controversa,'' have their leaves alternate. Dogwood [[flower]]s have four parts. In many species, the flowers are borne separately in open (but often dense) clusters, while in various other species (such as the [[flowering dogwood]]), the flowers themselves are tightly clustered, lacking showy [[petal]]s, but surrounded by four to six large, typically white petal-like [[bract]]s.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The [[fruit]]s of all dogwood species are [[drupe]]s with one or two seeds, often brightly colorful. The drupes of species in the subgenus ''Cornus'' are edible. Many are without much flavor. ''[[Cornus kousa]]'' and ''[[Cornus mas]]'' are sold commercially as edible fruit trees. The fruits of  ''Cornus kousa'' have a sweet, tropical pudding like flavor in addition to hard pits.  The fruits of ''Cornus mas'' are both tart and sweet when completely ripe. They have been eaten in Eastern Europe for centuries, both as food and medicine to fight colds and flus. They are very high in [[vitamin C]]. By contrast, the fruits of species in subgenus  ''Swida'' are mildly toxic to [[human|people]], though readily eaten by [[bird]]s.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Dogwoods are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some species of [[Lepidoptera|butterflies and moths]], including the [[Pavonia pavonia|emperor moth]], [[the engrailed]], the [[small angle shades]], and the following case-bearers of the genus ''[[Coleophora]]'': ''[[Coleophora ahenella|C. ahenella]]'', ''[[Coleophora salicivorella|C. salicivorella]]'' (recorded on ''Cornus canadensis''), ''C. albiantennaella'', ''[[Coleophora cornella|C. cornella]]'' and ''[[Coleophora cornivorella|C. cornivorella]]'', with the latter three all feeding exclusively on ''Cornus.''{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==Uses==
Dogwoods are widely planted horticulturally, and the dense wood of the larger-stemmed species is valued for certain specialized purposes. Cutting boards and fine turnings can be made from this fine grained and beautiful wood. Over 32 different varieties of game birds, including quail, feed on the red seeds.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wildlife Dogwood Trees|url=http://www.preppergarden.biz/Dogwood-Trees-for-Preppers-p/wld-dogwood.htm|publisher=Prepper Gardens|access-date=January 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116024043/http://www.preppergarden.biz/Dogwood-Trees-for-Preppers-p/wld-dogwood.htm|archive-date=2013-11-16}}</ref>

===Horticulture===
Various species of ''Cornus,'' particularly the [[Cornus florida|flowering dogwood]] ''(Cornus florida),'' are ubiquitous in American [[garden]]s and [[landscape|landscaping]]; [[horticulture|horticulturist]] [[Donald Wyman]] stated, "There is a dogwood for almost every part of the U.S. except the hottest and driest areas".<ref>Wyman's Garden Encyclopedia, ''s.v.'' "Cornus"</ref> In contrast, in [[Northwest Europe]] the lack of sharp winters and hot summers makes ''Cornus florida'' very shy of flowering.<ref>Alice M. Coats, ''Garden Shrubs and their Histories'' (1964) 1992, ''s.v.'' "Cornus".</ref>

Other ''Cornus'' species are [[stolon]]iferous shrubs that grow naturally in wet habitats and along waterways. Several of these are used along highways and in naturalizing landscape plantings, especially those species with bright red or bright yellow stems, particularly conspicuous in winter, such as ''[[Cornus stolonifera]]''.

The following [[cultivars]], of mixed or uncertain origin, have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]] (confirmed 2017):<ref>{{cite web  | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 16 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 24 January 2018}}</ref>
* 'Eddie's White Wonder'<ref>{{cite web
| url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/94390/i-Cornus-i-Eddie-s-White-Wonder/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Cornus'' 'Eddie's White Wonder'
| access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
* 'Norman Hadden'<ref>{{cite web
| url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/30663/i-Cornus-i-Norman-Hadden/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Cornus'' 'Norman Hadden'
| access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
* 'Ormonde'<ref>{{cite web
| url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/30654/i-Cornus-i-Ormonde/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Cornus'' 'Ormonde'
| access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref>
* 'Porlock'<ref>{{cite web
| url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/103072/i-Cornus-i-Porlock/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Cornus'' 'Porlock'
| access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref>

===Fruits===
The species ''[[Cornus mas]]'' is commonly cultivated in southeastern Europe for its showy, edible berries, that have the color of the carnelian gemstone.  Cornelian-cherries have one seed each and are used in syrups and preserves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c290|title=Cornus mas - Plant Finder|website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref>

===Wood===
Dense and fine-grained, dogwood timber has a density of 0.79 and is highly prized for making loom shuttles, tool handles, roller skates and other small items that require a very hard and strong wood.<ref>"Dogwood." McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.</ref> Though it is tough for woodworking, some artisans favor dogwood for small projects such as [[cane (walking stick)|walking canes]], arrow making, [[mountain dulcimer]]s and fine [[inlay]]s. Dogwood wood is an excellent substitute for [[persimmon]] wood in the heads of certain [[golf|golf clubs]] ("woods"). Dogwood lumber is rare in that it is not readily available with any manufacturer and must be cut down by the person(s) wanting to use it.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Larger items have also been occasionally made of dogwood, such as the screw-in basket-style wine or fruit presses. The first kinds of [[laminate]]d [[tennis racket]]s were also made from this wood, cut into thin strips.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Dogwood [[Teeth cleaning twig|twigs]] were used by U.S. pioneers to brush their teeth. They would peel off the bark, bite the twig and then scrub their teeth.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Gunn's Domestic Medicine|publisher=John M. Gallagher, printer|last=Gunn|first=John C.|page=[https://archive.org/details/9506665.nlm.nih.gov/page/n526 523]|year=1835|edition=4th |url=https://archive.org/details/9506665.nlm.nih.gov}}</ref>

=== Traditional medicine ===
The bark of ''Cornus'' species is rich in [[tannins]] and has been used in [[traditional medicine]] as a substitute for quinine.{{clarify|date=April 2016}}<ref>"Dogwood or cornel." The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.</ref>

The Japanese cornel, ''[[Cornus officinalis|C. officinalis]]'', is used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]] as ''shān zhū yú''  for several minor ailments.<ref name="Schafer">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wb_OGEz3Ts4C | title=The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A Cultivator's Guide to Small-scale Organic Herb Production | publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing | author=Schafer, Peg | year=2011 | pages=312 (page 150) | isbn=978-1-60358-330-5}}</ref>

==Classification==
The following classification recognizes a single, inclusive genus ''Cornus,''<ref>{{cite journal |author=Richard H. Eyde |year=1987 |title=The case for keeping ''Cornus'' in the broad Linnaean sense |journal=[[Systematic Botany]] |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=505–518 |jstor=2418886|doi=10.2307/2418886 |bibcode=1987SysBo..12..505E }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Richard H. Eyde |year=1988 |title=Comprehending ''Cornus'': puzzles and progress in the systematics of the dogwoods |journal=[[Botanical Review]] |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=233–351 |jstor=4354115 |doi=10.1007/bf02868985|bibcode=1988BotRv..54..233E |s2cid=12507834 }}</ref> with four subgroups and ten subgenera supported by molecular phylogeny.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Phylogenetic relationships within ''Cornus'' (Cornaceae) based on 26S rDNA sequences.|last1 = Fan|first1 = Chuanzhu|date = 2001|journal = American Journal of Botany|pmid = 11410478|last2 = Xiang|first2 = Qiu-Yun|issue = 6|volume = 88|pages = 1131–1138|doi=10.2307/2657096|jstor = 2657096|doi-access = free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233647099|title = Species level phylogeny of the genus Cornus (Cornaceae) based on molecular and morphological evidence—implications for taxonomy and Tertiary intercontinental migration.|last1 = Zhiang|first1 = Qiu-Yun|date = 2006|journal = Taxon|access-date = 29 January 2016|volume = 55|issue = 1|last2 = Thomas|first2 = David T.|last3 = Zhang|last4 = Manchester|last5 = Murrell|first3 = Wenheng|first4 = Steven R.|first5 = Zack | page=9 | doi=10.2307/25065525 | jstor=25065525 | bibcode=2006Taxon..55....9X }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nowicki|first1=Marcin|last2=Boggess|first2=Sarah L.|last3=Saxton|first3=Arnold M.|last4=Hadziabdic|first4=Denita|last5=Xiang|first5=Qiu-Yun Jenny|last6=Molnar|first6=Thomas|last7=Huff|first7=Matthew L.|last8=Staton|first8=Margaret E.|last9=Zhao|first9=Yichen|date=2018-10-23|editor-last=Heinze|editor-first=Berthold|title=Haplotyping of Cornus florida and C. kousa chloroplasts: Insights into species-level differences and patterns of plastic DNA variation in cultivars|journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=13|issue=10|article-number=e0205407|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0205407|issn=1932-6203|pmc=6198962|pmid=30352068|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1305407N|doi-access=free}}</ref> Geographical ranges as [[native plants]] are given below.

===Blue- or white-fruited dogwoods===
Paniculate or corymbose [[Cyme (botany)|cymes]]; bracts minute, nonmodified; fruits globose or subglobose, white, blue, or black:
* {{anchor|Subgenus Yinquania}} '''Subgenus ''Yinquania'''''. Leaves opposite to subopposite; fall blooming.
** ''[[Cornus oblonga]]''. East Asia from Pakistan through the Himalayas and China.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cornus+oblonga|title= Cornus oblonga - Wall.|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=Plants For A Future|date=<!--Not stated-->|access-date=February 9, 2022}}</ref>
** ''[[Cornus peruviana]]''. Costa Rica and Venezuela to Bolivia.<ref>{{cite web|title = Tropicos {{!}} Name - Cornus peruviana J.F. Macbr.|url = http://www.tropicos.org/Name/8700026|website = www.tropicos.org|access-date = 2016-01-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Flora of Peru|last = Macbride|first = J.F.|publisher = Field Museum|year = 1959|pages = 44–45|volume = 13 pt.5 no.1|chapter = Cornaceae|url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2372788#page/52/mode/1up}}</ref>
* {{anchor|Subgenus Kraniopsis}} '''Subgenus ''Kraniopsis''.''' Leaves opposite; summer blooming.
** ''[[Cornus alba]]''{{refn|''Cornus sericea'', treated separately here, is sometimes included in a more broadly taken concept of ''Cornus alba'', which in that sense is also native in North America.|group=Note}} (Siberian dogwood). [[Siberia]] and northern China.
** ''[[Cornus amomum]]''{{refn|''Cornus obliqua'', here recognized separately, has been included in a broader concept of ''C. amomum'' by some botanists. Canadian reports for ''C. amomum'' are apparently all based on plants here classified as ''C. obliqua''.|group=Note}} (silky dogwood). Eastern [[United States|U.S.]] east of the Great Plains except for the [[Deep South]].
** ''[[Cornus asperifolia]]'' (toughleaf dogwood). Southeastern U.S.
** ''[[Cornus austrosinensis]]'' (South China dogwood). East Asia.
** ''[[Cornus bretschneideri]]'' (Bretschneider's dogwood). Northern China.
** ''[[Cornus coreana]]'' (Korean dogwood). Northeast Asia.
** ''[[Cornus drummondii]]'' (roughleaf dogwood). U.S. between the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachia]] and the [[Great Plains]], and southern [[Ontario]], Canada.
** ''[[Cornus excelsa]]''. Mexico to Honduras.
** ''[[Cornus foemina]]'' (stiff dogwood) Southeastern and southern United States.
** ''[[Cornus glabrata]]'' (brown dogwood or smooth dogwood). Western [[North America]].
** ''[[Cornus hemsleyi]]'' (Hemsley's dogwood). Southwest China.
** ''[[Cornus koehneana]]'' (Koehne's dogwood). Southwest China.
** ''[[Cornus macrophylla]]'' (large-leafed dogwood; {{zh|c=棶木|p=láimù}}). East Asia.
** ''[[Cornus obliqua]]''{{refn|''Cornus obliqua'' is sometimes included in a more broadly taken concept of ''C. amomum'', also in the eastern U.S.|group=Note}} (pale dogwood). Northeastern and central U.S., and southeastern Canada.
** ''[[Cornus paucinervis]]''. China.
** ''[[Cornus racemosa]]'' (northern swamp dogwood or gray dogwood). Northeastern and central U.S., and extreme southeastern Canada.
** ''[[Cornus rugosa]]'' (round-leaf dogwood). Northeastern and north-central U.S., and southeastern Canada.
** ''[[Cornus sanguinea]]'' (common dogwood). Europe.
** ''[[Cornus sericea]]''{{refn|''Cornus sericea'' (including ''C. stolonifera'') is sometimes itself included in a more broadly taken concept of the otherwise Eurasian ''Cornus alba''.|group=Note}} (red osier dogwood). Northern and western North America, except [[Arctic]] regions.
** ''[[Cornus walteri]]'' (Walter's dogwood). Central China.
** ''[[Cornus wilsoniana]]'' (ghost dogwood). China.
** ''[[Cornus × arnoldiana]]'' ([[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]]: ''C. obliqua'' × ''C. racemosa''). Eastern North America.
* {{anchor|Subgenus Mesomora}} '''Subgenus ''Mesomora''.''' Leaves alternate; summer blooming.
** ''[[Cornus alternifolia]]'' (pagoda dogwood or alternate-leaf dogwood). Eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.
** ''[[Cornus controversa]]'' (table dogwood). East Asia.

===Cornelian cherries===
Umbellate cymes; bracts modified, non-petaloid; fruits oblong, red; stone walls filled with cavities:
* {{anchor|Subgenus Afrocrania}} '''Subgenus ''Afrocrania''.''' Dioecious, bracts 4.
** ''[[Cornus volkensii]]''. [[Afromontane]] eastern Africa.
* {{anchor|subgenus_cornus|Subgenus Cornus}} '''Subgenus ''Cornus''.''' Plants hermaphroditic, bracts 4 or 6
** ''[[Cornus eydeana]]''. Yunnan in China
** ''[[Cornus mas]]'' (European cornel or Cornelian-cherry). [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]].
** ''[[Cornus officinalis]]'' (Japanese cornel). China, [[Japan]], [[Korea]].
** {{extinct}}''[[Cornus piggae]]'' ([[Late Paleocene]], North Dakota)<ref name="Manchester2010">{{Cite FTP |last1=Manchester |first1=S.R. |last2=Xiang |first2=X-P. |last3=Xiang |first3=Q-Y |year=2010 |title=Fruits of Cornelian Cherries (Cornaceae: ''Cornus'' Subg. ''Cornus'') in the Paleocene and Eocene of the Northern Hemisphere |volume=171 |issue=8 |pages=882–891 |url=ftp://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/Projects/PaleobotanyWyoFieldtripReadings/ManchesterReprints/2010%20Cornelian%20Cherries%20%20Cornus.pdf |doi=10.1086/655771 |server=International Journal of Plant Sciences |url-status=dead |s2cid=83524109 }}</ref>
** ''[[Cornus sessilis]]'' (blackfruit cornel). [[California]].
* {{anchor|Subgenus Sinocornus}} '''Subgenus ''Sinocornus''.''' Plants hermaphroditic, bracts 4 or 6
** ''[[Cornus chinensis]]'' (Chinese cornel). [[China]].

=== Big-bracted dogwoods ===
Capitular cymes:
* {{anchor|Subgenus Discocrania}} '''Subgenus ''Discocrania''.''' Bracts 4, modified, non-petaloid; fruits oblong, red.
** ''[[Cornus disciflora]]''. Mexico and Central America
* {{anchor|Subgenus Cynoxylon}} '''Subgenus ''Cynoxylon''.''' Bracts 4 or 6, large and petaloid, fruits oblong, red.
** ''[[Cornus florida]]'' (flowering dogwood). U.S. east of the Great Plains, north to southern Ontario.
** ''[[Cornus nuttallii]]'' (Pacific dogwood). Western North America, from [[British Columbia]] to [[California]].
* {{anchor|Subgenus Syncarpea}} '''Subgenus ''Syncarpea''.''' Bracts 4, large and petaloid, fruits red, fused into a compound multi-stoned berry.
** ''[[Cornus capitata]]'' (Himalayan flowering dogwood). [[Himalaya]].
** ''[[Cornus hongkongensis]]'' (Hong Kong dogwood). Southern China, [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]].
** ''[[Cornus kousa]]'' (Kousa dogwood). Japan and (as subsp. ''chinensis'') central and northern China.
** ''[[Cornus multinervosa]]''. Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China

=== Dwarf dogwoods ===
Minute corymbose cymes; bracts 4, petaloid; fruit globose, red; rhizomatous herb:
* {{anchor|Subgenus Arctocrania}} '''Subgenus ''Arctocrania''.'''
** ''[[Cornus canadensis]]'' (Canadian dwarf cornel or bunchberry) Northern North America, southward in the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] and [[Rocky Mountains|Rocky]] Mountains.
** ''[[Cornus suecica]]'' (Eurasian dwarf cornel or bunchberry). Northern Eurasia, locally in extreme northeast and northwest North America.
** ''[[Cornus × unalaschkensis]]'' ([[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]]: ''C. canadensis'' × ''C. suecica''). [[Aleutian Islands]] ([[Alaska]]), [[Greenland]], and [[Labrador]] and [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] in Canada.
** ''[[Cornus wardiana]]'' (Evergreen dwarf cornel or bunchberry). Northern [[Myanmar]].

===''Incertae sedis'' (unplaced)===
* {{extinct}}''[[Cornus clarnensis]]'' (Middle [[Eocene]], Central Oregon)<ref name="Manchester1994">{{Cite journal |last1=Manchester |first1=S.R. |title=Fruits and Seeds of the Middle Eocene Nut Beds Flora, Clarno Formation, Oregon |year=1994 |journal=Palaeontographica Americana |volume=58 |pages=30–31}}</ref>

=== Horticultural hybrids ===
''Cornus'' × ''rutgersensis'' ([[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]]: ''C. florida'' × ''C. kousa''). Horticulturally developed.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Cornus florida'' × ''Cornus kousa'' |url=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/corut.htm|work=Landscape Plants: Images, identification, and information|publisher=Oregon State University|access-date=20 May 2011}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
The [[inflorescence]] of the [[Pacific dogwood]] ''([[Cornus nuttallii]])'' is the official flower of the province of [[British Columbia]]. The [[flowering dogwood]] (''Cornus florida'') and its [[inflorescence]] are the state tree and the state flower respectively for the U.S. Commonwealth of [[Virginia]]. It is also the state tree of [[Missouri]] and the state flower of [[North Carolina]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.teleflora.com/floral-facts/what-is-my-state-flower|title=Find Official State Flower for USA &#124; Teleflora|website=www.teleflora.com}}</ref> and the state memorial tree of [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/categories/state-tree|title=List of State Trees &#124; State Symbols USA|website=statesymbolsusa.org|date=23 April 2014 }}</ref> The term "dogwood winter", in [[colloquialism|colloquial]] use in the American Southeast, especially Appalachia,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Mary Tom |date=2021-03-31 |title=The Six Little Winters of Tennessee |url=https://visitclevelandtn.com/the-six-little-winters-of-tennessee/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Visit Cleveland TN |language=en-US}}</ref> is sometimes used to describe a [[cold wave|cold snap]] in spring, presumably because farmers believed it was not safe to plant their crops until after the dogwoods blossomed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2011/04/25/what-is-dogwood-winter/ |title=What is Dogwood Winter? &#124; Farmers' Almanac |access-date=2011-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503013908/http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2011/04/25/what-is-dogwood-winter/ |archive-date=2011-05-03 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikispecies}}
* [http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/wild-food-useful-plants/dogwood-cornus-sanguinea.htm Dogwood history and uses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175459/http://www.naturessecretlarder.co.uk/wild-food-useful-plants/dogwood-cornus-sanguinea.htm |date=2016-03-03 }}
* [http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF14/Cornus.pdf ''Cornus'' in Flora of China]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q159545}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cornus| ]]
[[Category:Cornales genera]]
[[Category:Extant Campanian first appearances]]
[[Category:Plants used in bonsai]]