| Description | Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) is a tall, wide, spreading small tree or shrub having an interesting horizontal branching habit. The off white flowers appear in early June. Prefers full sun to semi-shade, moist sites. |
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| Pronunciation | (KOR-nus)(al-ter-ni-FO-li-ah) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations, shrubs native |
| Hardiness Zone | 3-7 |
| Sunlight | Prefers half-day full to semi-shade light conditions, will tolerate full sun if the area is not too dry |
| Moisture | prefers moist, tolerates average |
| Soil & Site | Prefers moist soil; does fine on average sites, but becomes distressed on dry sites. |
| Flowers | Off-white, yellowish flowers are on upright cymes, appearing in early to mid-June. |
| Fruit | The fruit is a drupe that starts green, turns white, and then becomes bluish-black by mid-summer. The stems of the fruits appear orangish-red. A drupe contains a large seed. The fruits taste sour and bitter to humans but are cherished by birds. |
| Leaves | Simple, alternate, green, reaching about 3-5 inches long,with a cuneate base. Fall color is reddish-purple. |
| Stems | Branches are horizontal to the ground, giving it a Pagoda shape effect |
| Dimensions | 15-20 feet tall with a spread equal to or 1.5 times wider. |
| Propagation | seeds |
| Native Site | Native to areas of the United States and Canada. Found growing in moist woods and along streams. |
| Cultivar Origin | Introduced into cultivation in 1760. |
| Misc Facts | AKA: Alternate-Leaf Dogwood |
| Author's Notes | The times I have seen this plant used successfully are in semi-shaded, moist sites. I have had one in a garden for over 20 years in a semi-shaded site (as of 2024). In hot, dry sites, the Pagoda Dogwood suffers. |
| Notes & Reference | #1-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #3-Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, #55-The Garden Book of Wisconsin (Melinda Meyers), #63-How to recognize Shrubs (William Carey Grimm), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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