Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

swamp dogwood, stiff cornel

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Cornus foemina

Family:

Cornaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

10-30 ft tall by 10-20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

blue

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits summer-early fall. Likely lives 50 yrs. or less.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Bark

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Use along streams or edges of retention areas. Can be a screen or specimen tree in moist areas. Blooms better in moderate to high light settings.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Stays wet ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies. 





Larval host for cecropia silkmoth ( Hyalophora cecropia ) and spring azure butterfly ( Celastrina ladon ).  

 Birds and small mammals consume the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Riverine swamps, bluffs, bluffs, gum swamps. Typically in areas of relatively brief, shallow inundation.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments: