Western flowering dogwood - Cornus nuttallii
Family: Cornaceae (Dogwood family)
Other names: Mountain Dogwood, Pacific dogwood, Western Dogwood [PFAF]
Fruit (Famine Food), Dye, Tannin, Basketry, Wood, Smoking Mixture Malaria, Tonic, Febrifuge
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Identification
"Cornus nuttallii is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 7 m (23ft) at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 7. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects." [PFAF]
"Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil." [PFAF]
Origin Status:
Native[E-flora]
General:
"Irregularly branched deciduous tree up to 20 m tall; bark blackish-brown, smooth, becoming finely ridged with age, young branches greyish-purplish." [IFBC-E-flora]
Leaves:
"Opposite, deciduous, oval, stalked, pointed at the tip, 4-10 cm long, deep green above, greyish-brown below, turning red in the fall, characteristic veins curving parallel to the leaf edge." [IFBC-E-flora]
Flowers:
"Inflorescence of numerous, unstalked, hemispheric clusters 1.5-2 cm wide, subtended by 4-7 conspicuous white or pinkish-tinged, large (2-7 cm long) showy bracts, flowering in spring and often again in the fall; petals greenish-white, usually purplish-tinged." [IFBC-E-flora]
Fruits:
"Fleshy drupes, 10 mm long, bright red." [IFBC-E-flora]
USDA Flower Colour: Green
USDA Blooming Period: Mid Spring
USDA Fruit/Seed characteristics:
- Colour: Red
- Present from Summer to Fall [USDA-E-flora]
Habitat / Range "Mesic forests in the lowland and montane zones; common in SW BC; S to CA, disjunct in ID." [IFBC-E-flora]
Ecological Indicator Information
"A shade-tolerant/intolerant, submontane to montane, Western North American deciduous broad-leaved tree distributed more in the Pacific than the Cordilleran region. Occurs in maritime to submaritime cool mesothermal climates on moderately dry to fresh, nitrogen-rich soils (Moder or Mull humus forms). A shrub or small tree in disturbed communities and coniferous forests on water-shedding sites, most often on colluvial slopes. Its occurrence decreases with increasing latitude, precipitation, and continentality. Characteristic of young-seral mesothermal forests." (IPBC) [E-flora]
Edible Uses
- Fruit: "The fruit is possibly edible[177]. The fruit has a thin, mealy flesh[82]." [PFAF] Pacific dogwood berries are edible but hard, mealy, and often bitter. Try them only if you are desperately hungry. [Derig WBOTW] Dogwood berries were eaten by the Island Indians. This may have been referring to Cornus canadensis. [Turner&Bell1]
- Preservation: Native Americans sometimes stored whole berries for winter use. [Derig WBOTW].
- Beverage: Native Americans boiled fresh berries to make a refreshing juice, which they sweetened to taste. [Derig WBOTW]
- Preservation: Native Americans sometimes stored whole berries for winter use. [Derig WBOTW].
Other Uses
- Dye: "An intense brown dye is obtained by boiling the bark[257]." [PFAF]
- Tannin: "The bark is rich in tannin and has been used as a preservative[257]." [PFAF] The Saanieh sometimes used the bark for tanning articles such as cedar bark bailers (Harry, 1969). [Turner&Bell1]
- Basketry: "The long slender branches have been used in making baby baskets[257]." [PFAF]
- Wood: "Exceedingly hard, heavy, strong, close grained. It is used for tool handles, cabinet making etc[46, 61, 82, 118]." [PFAF] The wood was sometimes used for bows and arrows by the Island Salish. In recent times, the Cowichan used it for making knitting needles (Lane, 1951).[Turner&Bell1]
- Baskets: "...the harvest of mountain dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) for making baby baskets was timed with insect life cycles. Sticks were harvested in early fall, right after the shrubs shed their leaves, because “[b]y late Fall, the twigs are infested with worms that weaken the wood.” Many harvesting techniques were designed specifically to foil insects or herbivores." [Anderson TTW]
- Smoking Mixture: Dogwood leaves were commonly dried and crushed for smoking, perhaps because they had a slight intoxicating effect. [Derig WBOTW] It was sometimes mixed with tobacco for smoking. [Turner&Bell1]
Medicinal Uses
- Bark: The roots and bark contain a medicinal drug (Claus and Tyler, 1967). The Island Salish used a decoction of the bark as a strengthening medicine (Bancroft, 1895). Haskin (1934) mentions that the bark was used successfully by some groups as a quinine substitute. [Turner&Bell1]
- Malaria: "An infusion is used as a quinine substitute in the treatment of malaria [46, 118, 226]." [PFAF]
- Stomach: "The infusion has also been used in the treatment of stomach complaints [257]." [PFAF]
- Tea: They made a tea from the bark for a tonic, laxative, or treatment for fever. [Derig WBOTW]
- External Use: "Externally, it is used to treat ulcers[257]." [PFAF]
Pharmacology
- Bark: "Antiperiodic, cathartic, febrifuge, laxative and tonic[46, 61, 118, 257]." [PFAF]
Cultivation
"An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil of good or moderate fertility[1], ranging from acid to shallow chalk[200]. Another report says that it does not thrive in poor chalky soils[182]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Succeeds in full sun or light shade[[188]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[184], but they require long hot humid summers in order to promote good growth[200]. A very ornamental tree[1], but it is usually short-lived in Britain and does not do well in the north of this country[11]. There is some evidence to suggest that trees grow better on poor soils and can be killed by too much kindness. A very good tree has been seen on a poor gravel soil[182]. Closely related to C. florida[226]. This species is the floral emblem of British Columbia[226]. A number of named varieties have been developed for their ornamental value[182]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200]." [PFAF]
Propagation
"Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed[80, 113]. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh since this contains germination inhibitors[80, 164]. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3 - 4 months and sown as early as possible in the year[164]. Scarification may also help as may a period of about 3 days warm stratification at 15°c before the cold stratification[80, 164]. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more[164]. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage[78]. Layering of new growth in June/July. Takes 9 months[78]."[PFAF]
Soak: 24 hours Stratification: 90 days [Leadem FSSB]
References
- E-flora - http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Cornus nuttallii&redblue=Both&lifeform=2 [Accessed: 11/25/2014 6:59:56 PM ]
- PFAF - http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cornus+nuttallii, Accessed Jan 12, 2014