Swida amomum subsp. obliqua - Silky Dogwood

Sizes available: TBD, update coming soon

Basics: zones 4-8, 6-12' x 4-12'. part shade (its preference) to full sun (with enough moisture), numerous small white flowers bloom in a fluffy head at the tops of the branches in late spring to early summer. These ripen from white to blue in late summer, prefers a rich and slightly acidic wet to medium moisture soil. 

Common names: Silky Dogwood, Pale Dogwood, Silky Cornel, Swamp Dogwood. Other common names also used for other plants are Red Willow and Kinnikinnik.

Synonyms: Cornus amomun, Swida obliqua, Cornus obliqua

Family: Cornaceae

Origin/Distribution: Native from New England all the way down the Eastern seaboard to Florida and as far west as Missouri, Michigan, and Georgia. Native to Maine.

Habitat: Found in low woods near streams, wet clearing edges, scrublands, thickets, and meadows, wetland edges, and floodplains.

More: This is an excellent understory shrub that is thicket-forming if happy. It is very attractive in flower and fruit. Good for erosion control, a windbreak, or in a mixed hedge. Provides shelter and nesting sites. The fruit is eaten by birds, small mammals, deer, and bear. It is a significant larval host (more details coming soon). The berry (drupe) is edible for humans, but not the most palatable and is usually cooked into a jam or jelly or eaten as a survival food. The bark has been used medicinally. 

Source: sown at Honey Petal Plants with seed from Prairie Moon Nursery

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons