Silky-haired dogwood
| Silky-haired dogwood | ||||||||||||
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Silky-haired dogwood ( Cornus amomum ) with fruits |
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| Cornus amomum | ||||||||||||
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The silky-haired dogwood ( Cornus amomum ) is a species of the genus dogwood ( Cornus ) in the dogwood family (Cornaceae). The shrub grows in eastern North America, where it is referred to as "silky dogwood", as a German name, silk-haired dogwood is used accordingly. The species is named after the Indian aromatic plant genus Amomum (Zingiberaceae) and was described by Philip Miller in 1768 .
description
It is a shrub that reaches heights of one to four meters. Its branches are spread out to arching overhanging, where they touch the ground, they can form roots. Numerous runners also sprout from the roots , so that extensive thickets quickly emerge in suitable locations.
The young twigs are dark red, especially in winter, and also greenish in the shade, older twigs slowly turn gray-green. The pith is pink to light brown in color, a distinguishing feature from the silky dogwood ( Cornus sericea ) with a white pith. Young twigs have gray hair.
The opposite leaves are five to ten centimeters long, dull green on top, lighter on the underside, with gray hairs when they shoot. The leaf veins are bent towards the leaf tip. In autumn, the leaves turn brown before the leaves fall.
The yellowish-white flowers are in umbels, flowering time is from June to July. The resulting stone fruit is blue-gray in color, often lighter to white in the sun. The blue fruit is mainly distributed by birds, but various mammals also eat it.
distribution
Cornus amomum is distributed from southeastern Canada over the entire east coast of the USA, but not very common in the southeast. It grows there on soils that are well supplied with water and nutrients, on streams and in swamps. It also tolerates very shady locations.
use
In the open landscape, use is made of the rapid growth and the rooted runners to avoid soil erosion. In North America, Cornus amomum is used to attach disturbed areas to streams.
The inner bark used to be smoked together with other herbs, this mixture is called "Kinnikinnik".
Systematics
It is difficult to differentiate it from similar species such as Cornus sericea . Cornus obliqua is better considered a subspecies of Cornus amomum :
- Cornus amomum subsp. amomum (Syn .: Cornus sericea var. schuetzeana C.A.Mey. , Cornus amomum var. schuetzeana (CAMey.) Rickett ): It occurs in the central and eastern United States.
- Cornus amomum subsp. obliqua (Raf.) JSWilson (Syn .: Cornus obliqua Raf. ) It occurs from southeastern Canada to the north-central and eastern United States.
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert Zander : Zander. Concise dictionary of plant names. Edited by Walter Erhardt , Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold . 16th edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-5080-8 .
- ^ P. Miller: The gardeners dictionary . 8th edition. London 1768, p. 5 .
- ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Cornus - World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on October 25, 2018.
