FNPS Plant Database
Cornus alternifolia
alternate-leaved dogwood, pagoda dogwood
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
alternate-leaved dogwood, pagoda dogwood
Synonym(s):
Genus species:
Cornus alternifolia
Family:
Cornaceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
tree
Size:
10-15 (30) ft tall by 10-15 wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
white
Fruit Color:
blue, black
Phenology:
deciduous
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
small specimen tree. Can also work as an understory tree
Considerations:
Availability:
Propagation:
seed or softwood cuttings
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry
Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Loam, Organic (muck), Sand
Soil pH:
acidic
Suitable to Grow In:
8A, 8B
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
birds and small mammals consume the fruit
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon). Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies.
Native Habitats:
slope forest, upland hardwood forest, bluffs, creek forests
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
General Comments:
