Alternate leaf dogwood
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The changeable dogwood ( Cornus alternifolia ) in an illustration by Johan Carl Krauss |
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The alternate-leaved dogwood ( Cornus alternifolia ) is a small tree or shrub from the genus of the dogwood ( Cornus ). The species grows in eastern North America on forest edges, clear areas in the forest and along rivers. Because of its tiered branches it is also called pagoda dogwood , although this name is more often used to describe the similar species Cornus controversa . It is occasionally planted as an ornamental wood in Central Europe.
description
The alternate-leaved dogwood reaches a height of about 8 m and often grows with a single stem as a small tree, more rarely as a multi-stemmed shrub. The crown is irregularly shaped, the side branches are often horizontal in levels.
The leaves are 4 to 12 cm long, green on the top and lighter on the underside. They are egg-shaped, have entire margins and have an elongated tip. On long shoots they are alternate , on short shoots the leaves can approach so far that they are opposite or almost whorled. Since all other dogwoods have opposite leaves, the position of the leaves gave this species its name. The leaf veins are bent towards the leaf tip. In autumn the leaves turn yellow to crimson before falling off.
The twigs are a little reddish in color and have a characteristic branching pattern: A twig ends in a short shoot, below which another long shoot emerges. A slightly cracked, gray-brown bark develops on thicker shoots and on the trunk .
The flowers appear in early summer and are grouped in flat umbels . They are white, consist of four petals and have a slight smell. The resulting fruits are pea-sized drupes that turn black or blue-black when ripe. They are eaten by birds, which spread the seeds in this way.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 20.
distribution
The species is native to eastern North America, from the extreme southeast of Canada to Florida , with the most common in the northern Appalachians and around the Great Lakes . The alternate-leaved dogwood grows in its range on deep, well-drained soils with a good water supply. Since it tolerates shade, it can become the dominant species in the shrub layer in some forest communities.
use
Occasionally, the alternate-leaved dogwood is cultivated as an ornamental wood in Europe, but not as often as the similar pagoda dogwood . There is a variegated variety called 'Argentea'.
literature
- Andreas Roloff , Andreas Bärtels: Flora of the woods. Purpose, properties, use. With a winter key from Bernd Schulz. 5th updated edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2018, ISBN 978-3-8186-0016-7 .
- Electronic Text Center of the University of New Brunswick (PDF file; 49 kB)
- Distribution map, US Department of Agriculture (PDF file; 752 kB)
- Milo Coladonato: Cornus alternifolia . In: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (Ed.): Fire Effects Information System . 1994 ( fed.us [accessed January 16, 2007]).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cornus alternifolia at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
