Cornus alternifolia Seeds | Pagoda Dogwood
LATIN NAME: Cornus alternifolia
COMMON NAME: Pagoda Dogwood, Alternate-leaved Dogwood
Plant Profile
The pagoda dogwood is a small tree of five to eight metres with branches that grow in almost horizontal tiers, one above another, which is where the common name comes from. The leaves are alternate, which is unusual in a genus whose other members have opposite pairs.
It grows in the understorey of woods and along streams in eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Georgia. The flowers are small and cream, in flat clusters, and the fruit that follows is a blue-black berry on a red stalk, taken by birds within days of ripening. The bark is grey and smooth, and the trunk is often short, dividing low into the tiered branches.
Science & Biotechnology
The alternate leaves are the character that separates the species from every other dogwood in its range, and the tiered branching follows from the way the shoots are arranged. The plant flowers on the current season’s growth, which is why a late frost does less damage to it than to the flowering dogwood.
The species is susceptible to a canker that enters through bark wounds, and a tree that is damaged by a strimmer or by mower is often dead within three years. Seed has a double dormancy, needing a warm period followed by cold, and seedlings appear in the second spring after the fruit falls. The tree is also one of the hosts of the spring azure butterfly, whose larvae feed on the flower buds in May.
Uses & Benefits
The tree is grown as a specimen for its shape, its spring flower and its autumn colour, which is a deep purple-red. It is one of the best small trees for a shady garden, and it is more tolerant of cold than most of the genus.
The fruit is eaten by birds but not by people, and the bark is not used commercially. The wood is light and was used for small objects, and the tree has no role in forestry, since it is too small and too scattered to be cut. The fruit is also eaten by ruffed grouse and by thrushes, and a tree in fruit in August is worth watching for the birds rather than for the berries.
Growing from Seed
Sow the cleaned seed in a pot in autumn and leave it outdoors. The seed needs a warm period first, so a late-summer sowing in a warm frame is more reliable than a spring one. Germination is often in the second spring.
Plant out in light shade in cool, moist, acid soil with leaf mould, and mulch every year. Keep the mower and the strimmer away from the trunk, since the bark is thin and a wound invites the canker. Prune only to remove dead wood, in late winter. The tree also transplants well when small, which is unusual among the dogwoods.
Our Take
A small tree with an unmistakable tiered shape and good autumn colour, and one that needs a shaded site and an undamaged trunk. Worth it for the outline alone.
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