Plant

Red-osier dogwood

Cornus sericea

Also known as: red-twig dogwood, red willow

A native shrub of moist soils across most of North America — distinctive bright red young stems (especially conspicuous in winter), white spring flower clusters, white drupes in late summer. Fast-growing, spreads readily by stolons, stabilizes streambanks. Common across Staten Island's freshwater wetland edges; widely planted in restoration plantings and rain gardens. ~50 bird species eat the berries.

Scientific

Cornus sericea is a 6–10 ft thicket-forming deciduous shrub of moist soils. Distinguished by bright red young stems — most conspicuous in winter when leafless red stems against snow are a recognizable visual feature. Older stems lose the red coloring and become grey-brown. White flat-topped flower clusters in spring; white-to-pale-blue drupes in late summer.

Spreads readily by stolons (horizontal stems that root where they touch ground), forming dense thickets that stabilize streambanks and pond edges. Standard species in restoration plantings for these reasons.

Berries eaten by ~50 bird species; foliage browsed by deer; thickets provide cover for ground-nesting birds and small mammals.

On Staten Island

Common at the borough’s freshwater wetland edges, ditches, and pond margins. NYC Parks restoration projects (Freshkills, Greenbelt streamsides) regularly include red-osier dogwood. Winter red-stem display is one of the few colorful botanical features visible in the borough’s January landscape.

Sources

USDA NRCS Plants Database: red-osier dogwood
NYC Parks restoration-planting standards

Rooted in life.

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Scientific

cousin of

Dogwood auto-linked via shared tag: kin

1 inbound link · 2 outbound

Scientific

On Staten Island

See also

Sources

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