Alternate-leaf dogwood

Leaves

Form

• Alternate
• May appear opposite or whorled on very short twigs
• Noticeably clustered at the ends of shoots
• Ovate
• Tip tapering, long, slender
• Base rounded or tapered
• Lower surface hairless 

Length

• 4–13 cm

Width

• Widest near the middle

Colour

• Upper surface dark green
• Lower surface whitish

Autumn colour

• Red

Margin

• Slightly wavy

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud present, small, pointed
• 2 or 3 loose scales

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Twigs

Form

• Shiny, polished, stout
• Many have 1 or 2 slender neoformed branches near the tip longer than the central axis

Colour

• Greenish-red to dark reddish-brown or dark purplish-red

Flowers

Form

• Small on a jointed stalk
• In large, open, irregularly rounded terminal clusters (cymes)
• Flattened at the top

Colour

• White or cream-coloured

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral timing

• Opening after the leaves

Fruits

Form

• Berry-like
• Ripening in midsummer

Width

• 8–10 mm

Colour

• Dark blue or bluish-black
• Stalks red

Structure

• Drupe

Bark

Form

• Thin, smooth, with age separating into shallow ridges

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Size

Height

• To 10 m

Diameter

• To 15 cm

Tree form

Forest-grown

Crown

• Crown formed of several spreading, horizontal tiers
• Results in a flat, layered pagoda appearance

Habitat

Site

• An understory species
• Well-drained deep soils in the understory of open woodlands
• At forest edges, along streams, bordering swamps, near the bottom of steep slopes

Light tolerance

• Shade-tolerant

Range

Deciduous forests of eastern North America