FNPS Plant Database

Cornus foemina

swamp dogwood, stiff cornel

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

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

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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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:

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses)



Institute for Regional Conservation.   Accessed 2021.  Natives for Your Neighborhood. https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Cornfoem.



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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