Plant of the Week: Rough-leafed Dogwood (Cornus drummondii)

This is one of the most common native shrubby dogwoods found in uplands across Kentucky.  It is a clump forming species that can get to 15' tall and is easily recognized in the spring by its creamy white clusters of flowers and whitish to cream colored fruit or berries on reddish or grayish branchlets.  Fall color can be a spectacular purplish red color.  The leaves are rough to the touch due to rough hairs on top of the leaf and soft hairs under the leaf.  The leaves are somewhat oval in shape with pointed tips.  It does have a tendency to spread via root sprouts so you will want to give it room to do its thing.  It is a favorite tree for birds which relish the fruit in late summer and early fall.   The genus  Cornus is Latin for horn and the species name is for Thomas Drummond, a Scottish naturalist who collected plants in the early to mid 1800's.  This species often is confused with red-osier, gray, and silky dogwoods.  It can be grown in full sun to part-shade and once established is quite drought tolerant.  It can tolerate most soil types ranging from well-drained to clay and alkaline to acidic.  This is an excellent replacement plant for folks that are eliminating the exotic, invasive bush honeysuckles.