Envoy at 14:45, 17 April 2007

2007-04-17T14:45:39Z

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{{alternateuses}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Dogwood
| image = Cornus_mas_flowers.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = European Cornel (''Cornus mas'')
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Cornales]]
| familia = [[Cornaceae]]
| genus = ''Cornus''
| subdivision_ranks = Subgenera
| subdivision =
''Cornus''<br/>
''Benthamidia''<br/>
''Swida''
}}

The '''Dogwoods''' comprise a group of 30-50 species of [[deciduous]] [[woody plant]]s ([[shrub]]s and [[tree]]s) in the family [[Cornaceae]], divided into one to nine genera or subgenera (depending on botanical interpretation). Four subgenera are enumerated here.

==Types of Dogwood==
[[Image:Cornus_drummondii1.jpg|right|thumb|''Cornus drummondii'' in flower]]
[[Image:Cornus-canadensis2.JPG|right|thumb|Canadian Dwarf Cornel (''Cornus canadensis'')]]
[[Image:Dogwoodice9669.JPG|right|thumb|''Cornus florida'' Dogwood berries encased in ice, [[Hemingway, South Carolina]]]]

*Flower clusters semi-showy, usually white or yellow, in cymes without large showy bracts, fruit red, blue or white:
**(Sub)genus ''Cornus''. '''Cornels'''; four species of shrubs or small trees; flower clusters with a deciduous involucre.
***''[[Cornus chinensis]]'' ([[Chinese Cornel]]). China.
***''[[Cornus mas]]'' ([[European Cornel]] or Cornelian-cherry). Mediterranean.
***''[[Cornus officinalis]]'' ([[Japanese Cornel]]). Japan.
***''[[Cornus sessilis]]'' ([[Blackfruit Cornel]]). California.

**(Sub)genus ''Swida''. '''Dogwoods'''; about 20-30 species of shrubs; flower clusters without an involucre.
***''[[Cornus alba]]'' (''Swida alba''; [[Siberian Dogwood]]). Siberia and northern China.
***''[[Cornus alternifolia]]'' (''Swida alternifolia''; [[Pagoda Dogwood]] or Alternate-leaf Dogwood). Eastern North America north to extreme southeast Canada.
***''[[Cornus amomum]]'' (''Swida amomum''; [[Silky Dogwood]]). Eastern U.S. east of the Great Plains except for deep south, and extreme southeast Canada.
***''[[Cornus asperifolia]]'' (''Swida asperifolia''; [[Rough-leaf Dogwood]]).
***''[[Cornus austrosinensis]]'' (''Swida austrosinensis''; [[South China Dogwood]]). East Asia.
***''[[Cornus bretschneideri]]'' (''Swida bretschneideri''; [[Bretschneider's Dogwood]]). Northern China.
***''[[Cornus controversa]]'' (''Swida controversa''; [[Table Dogwood]]). East Asia.
***''[[Cornus coreana]]'' (''Swida coreana''; [[Korean Dogwood]]). Northeast Asia.
***''[[Cornus drummondii]]'' (''Swida drummondii''; [[Roughleaf Dogwood]]). U.S. between the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] belt and the Great Plains, and southern [[Ontario]].
***''[[Cornus foemina]]'' ([[Stiff Dogwood]]) Southeastern, Southern, and Eastern United States.
***''[[Cornus glabrata]]'' (''Swida glabrata''; Brown Dogwood or Smooth Dogwood). Western North America.
***''[[Cornus hemsleyi]]'' (''Swida hemsleyi''; [[Hemsley's Dogwood]]). Southwest China.
***''[[Cornus koehneana]]'' (''Swida koehneana''; [[Koehne's Dogwood]]). Southwest China.
***''[[Cornus macrophylla]]'' (''Swida macrophylla''; [[Large-leafed Dogwood]]). East Asia.
***''[[Cornus obliqua]]'' (''Swida obliqua''; [[Pale Dogwood]]). Eastern North America.
***''[[Cornus paucinervis]]'' (''Swida paucinervis''). China.
***''[[Cornus racemosa]]'' (''Swida racemosa''; [[Northern Swamp Dogwood]] or Gray Dogwood). Extreme southeast Canada and northeast U.S.
***''[[Cornus rugosa]]'' (''Swida rugosa''; [[Round-leaf Dogwood]]). Southeast Canada and extreme northeast U.S.
***''[[Cornus sanguinea]]'' (''Swida sanguinea''; [[Common Dogwood]]). Europe.
***''[[Cornus sericea]]'' (''C. stolonifera; Swida stolonifera''; [[Red Osier Dogwood]]). Northern North America.
***''[[Cornus stricta]]'' (''Swida stricta''; [[Southern Swamp Dogwood]]). Southeast U.S.
***''[[Cornus walteri]]'' (''Swida walteri''; [[Walter's Dogwood]]). Central China.
***''[[Cornus wilsoniana]]'' (''Swida wilsoniana''; [[Wilson's Dogwood]]). Central China.

*Flower clusters inconspicuous, usually greenish, surrounded by large, showy petal-like brac
ts; fruit usually red:
**(Sub)genus ''Chamaepericlymenum''. '''Bunchberries''' or '''Dwarf cornels'''; two species of creeping [[subshrub]]s growing from woody [[stolon]]s.
***''[[Cornus canadensis]]'' (''Chamaepericlymenum canadense''; [[Canadian Dwarf Cornel]] or Bunchberry) Northern North America.
***''[[Cornus suecica]]'' (''Chamaepericlymenum suecicum''; [[Eurasian Dwarf Cornel]] or Bunchberry). Northern Eurasia, locally in extreme northeast and northwest North America.
***''Cornus × unalaschkensis'' ([[hybrid]] ''C. canadensis'' × ''C. suecica''). Aleutian Islands, Greenland, Labrador.

**(Sub)genus ''Benthamidia'' (syn. subgenus ''Dendrobenthamia'', subgenus ''Cynoxylon''). '''Flowering dogwoods'''; five species of trees.
***''[[Cornus capitata]]'' (''Benthamidia capitata''; [[Himalayan Flowering Dogwood]]). Himalaya.
***''[[Cornus florida]]'' (''Benthamidia florida''; [[Flowering Dogwood]]). U.S. east of the Great Plains, north to southern Ontario.
***''[[Cornus hongkongensis]]'' (''Benthamidia hongkongensis''; [[Hongkong Dogwood]]). Southern China, [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]].
***''[[Cornus kousa]]'' (''Benthamidia kousa''; [[Kousa Dogwood]]). Japan and (as subsp. ''chinensis'') central and northern China.
***''[[Cornus nuttallii]]'' (''Benthamidia nuttallii''; [[Pacific Dogwood]]). Western North America from [[British Columbia]] to [[California]].

==Characteristics of Dogwood==
[[Image:IMG 1527Dogwood.jpg|right|thumb|Flowering Dogwood blooming in Spring]]
Most species have opposite leaves, but alternate in a few. The [[fruit]] of all species is a [[drupe]] with one or two seeds. [[Flower]]s have four parts.

Many species in subgenus ''Swida'' are stoloniferous shrubs, growing along waterways. Several of these are used for naturalizing landscape plantings, especially the species with bright red or bright yellow stems. Most of the species in subgenus ''Benthamidia'' are small trees used as [[ornamental plant]]s.

The [[fruit]] of several species in the subgenera ''Cornus'' and ''Benthamidia'' is edible, though without much flavour. The berries of those in subgenus ''Swida'' are mildly toxic to people, though readily eaten by [[bird]]s. Dogwoods are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Emperor Moth]], [[Engrailed|The Engrailed]], [[Small Angle Shades]] and the following case-bearers of the genus ''[[Coleophora]]'': ''C. ahenella'', ''C. salicivorella'' (recorded on ''Cornus canadensis''), ''C. albiantennaella'', ''C. cornella'' and ''C. cornivorella'' (The latter three feed exclusively on ''Cornus'').

==Dogwood in Government Insignia==
Numerous varities of Dogwood are represented in the insignia of U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

The [[inflorescence]] of Pacific Dogwood is the official flower of the Canadian province of [[British Columbia]]

The Dogwood (Cornus florida) and its inflorescence are the state tree and the state flower respectively for the U.S. State of [[Virginia]]. It is also the state tree for [[Missouri]], and the state flower for [[North Carolina]].

==Etymology and Other meanings==
The word dogwood comes from '''dagwood,''' from the use of the slender stems of very hard [[wood]] for making 'dags' (daggers, skewers). The wood was also highly prized for making the shuttles of [[loom]]s, for tool handles, and other small items that required a very hard and strong wood.

In [[botany]] and in [[colloquialism|colloquial]] use, the term '''dogwood winter''' may be used to describe a [[cold snap]] in [[Spring (season)|spring]].

==The Fable of the Dogwood==
There is a [[Christian]] [[fable]] that the [[christian cross|cross]] used to crucify Jesus was constructed of Dogwood. As the fable goes, during the time of Jesus, the Dogwood was larger and stronger than it is today. After his crucifixion, Jesus changed the plant to its current form: he shortened it and twisted its branches as to assure an end to the use of the plant for the construction of crosses, and he transformed its inflorescence into the form of his crucifixion itself. That form is recognized by
the flower petals, which are said to represent the four corners of the cross; the red [[stamen]] of the flower, which is to represent Jesus' [[crown of thorns]]; and the clustered fruit, that represent his blood.

However, this is just a fable that has been cobbled together over a long period of time. It is unlikely to have any truth to it for the following reasons: the modern Dogwood is typically too small and twisted in trunk and branch for such a task; there is no evidence indicating that Dogwoods had larger, firmer or stronger trunks and branches during the time of Christ; and, an [[evolution]] of the Dogwood from one to the other over a mere thousand years is unheard of in evolutionary science. Furthermore, the [[Bible]] does not specify what type of wood was used to construct the cross of Jesus, and there is no indication within [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] records and histories of the materials used in cross construction<ref>http://www.gotquestions.org/legend-dogwood.html</ref>. Since there is no Biblical, historical, archaeological or scientific evidence of this story, it is likely to be inaccurate. The origin of this fable is not known.

==External links==
*[http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume14/Cornaceae-AGH_coauthoring.htm Asian dogwoods]
*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/coal2.htm ''Cornus alternifolia'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{Commons|Cornus}}

[[Category:Cornales]]

Dogwood - Revision history

Envoy at 14:45, 17 April 2007