Cornus rugosa Lam.

Deciduous shrub to 5 m, rarely single-stemmed and like a small tree. Young bark green becoming purplish, somewhat warty, branchlets yellowish-green, with sparse pubescence, lenticels apparent on older wood; pith white to tan. Leaves 7–15 × 5–14 cm, chartaceous, suborbiculate to ovate, base subcordate to cuneate, upper surface green, lower surface pale green, pubescent with erect trichomes, sometimes tufts of erect trichomes in vein axils, seven to nine secondary veins on each side of the midvein, margins entire, apex shortly acuminate; petiole to 1–2.3 cm long. Inflorescences flat-topped, cymose, 5–7 cm diameter, peduncle 1.8–3.5 cm; bracts minute, not petal-like. Flowers hermaphrodite, white, petals 0.2 to 0.4 cm long. Fruits globose 0.5–0.8 cm in diameter, pale blue at maturity, with one stone; stone globose 0.4 cm in diameter, slightly ribbed, apex emarginate. Flowering May to July, fruiting August to October (North America). (Murrell & Poindexter 2015; Bean 1976).

Distribution  Canada Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec United States Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Habitat Wooded slopes, forests, stream and lake banks between 0 and 2000 m asl.

USDA Hardiness Zone 3-7

RHS Hardiness Rating H5

Conservation status Least concern (LC)