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Stiff Dogwood, Southern Swamp Dogwood, Gray Dogwood - Cornus foemina


Family: Cornaceae - Dogwood family Genus Common Name: Dogwood Native Status: NativeDicot Perennial Tree Shrub
Cornus foemina - Stiff Dogwood, Southern Swamp Dogwood, Gray Dogwood. This small tree or shrub of the southeastern United States is not as showy as its larger and well-known cousin, Cornus florida - the Flowering Dogwood. However, it is an attractive tree, growing to about 20 tall. Cornus foemina, Stiff Dogwood (synonym: Cornus stricta,) is found in 19 states, as far north as Illinois and Delaware. Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is found in 31 states, as far north as Maine and Michigan, as well as parts of Canada.

Found in:
AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA

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Cornus foemina

Distribution of Cornus foemina in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

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Site: Walker County, GA Date: 2011-May-22Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
Stiff Dogwood has clusters of tiny white, 4-petaled blossoms with stamens and stigma extending above the blossom.
Cornus foemina
Site: Walker County, GA Date: 2011-May-23Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
The new stems of Stiff Dogwood are red, turning reddish-brown and then gray as they age. One of the key differentiators between Cornus foemina and the similar Roughleaf Dogwood (Cornus drummondii) is that Stiff Dogwood has smooth, mostly hairless leaves, while the leaf of Roughleaf Dogwood has a sandpapery upper surface of rough hairs and is softly hairy on the undersurface. The leaves are opposing.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Cornus foemina
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Cornus foemina initially published on USWildflowers.com 2011-05-23; Updated 2015-06-24

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All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302