Cornus alternifolia
Pagoda dogwood · also Alternate-leaf dogwood, Green osier
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A small deciduous tree with a distinctive layered, tiered branching habit, giving it a pagoda-like appearance. Its foliage turns vibrant red in fall. It is native to eastern North American woodlands and stream banks, and prefers cool, shaded, moist conditions, not tolerating extreme heat.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 1670.02%—4.0 in
- 1250.04%3.4 yr2.0 in
- 780.11%11 yr2.0 in
- 600.08%4.8 yr2.0 in
- 340.07%—0.8 in
- 220.01%—2.0 in
- 130.01%6.4 yr6.9 in
- 120.00%—2.4 in
- 70.00%2.8 yr2.0 in
- 70.00%—3.0 in
- 70.00%1.0 yr2.0 in
- 50.00%—3.9 in
- 30.00%—3.0 in
- 20.00%—5.4 in
- 20.01%—3.9 in
- 10.00%—3.9 in
- 10.01%—1.0 in
- 10.00%—1.0 in
Traits
- Form
- Spreading
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 20–25 ft
- Canopy spread
- 20 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Drought tolerance
- Low
- Wildlife value
- Moderate
- Blooms
- Mar, Apr, May
Trunk diameters across every city: median 2.0 in, mean 3.0 in, 90th percentile 6.0 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Native range
Terrestrial ecoregions where this species is native. Trees in the dataset mostly stand well outside it.
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
- Mississippi lowland forests
- New England-Acadian forests
Other Cornus in the catalogue
16 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
