white dogwood (Cornus alba) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

White dogwood is an Asian shrub grown in U.S. gardens for its red stems, which stand out after the leaves fall. It bears small cream-white flowers and pale fruit. It is also called Tatarian dogwood.

Appearance

Appearance: It is a fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub, usually 8–10 ft (2.4–3 m) tall and 5–10 ft (1.5–3 m) wide. Young stems are greenish red in summer and become bright red in fall and winter.
Leaves: Opposite, smooth-edged leaves have curved veins and may turn yellow, red, or purple in fall.
Flowers: Small cream-white flowers form flat-topped clusters in May and June.
Fruit: Clusters of white fruits, sometimes tinged blue, appear in summer.

Look-alikes

red osier dogwoodCornus sericea

Leaf tips tend to narrow gradually in red osier dogwood and more abruptly in white dogwood. The traits overlap, so a leaf or red-stem photo alone may not settle the identification.

Why they get mixed upBoth have red winter stems, flat white flower clusters, and pale fruit.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: moist shrub borders
rain gardens
woodland edges
Range: It is native from eastern Europe across northern Asia to northern Korea. It is grown in the United States and is recorded as introduced in Illinois.
Preferred conditions: It grows in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. It is hardy in 3–7.
Flowering: Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun

Growing it

Care: It spreads by and can form a broad colony, so give it room or remove unwanted shoots. The strongest red color is on younger stems.
Propagation: Garden plants can be propagated from cuttings or seed.

Name and classification

About the name: Red-barked dogwood is another common name.
Varieties and forms: Garden varieties include red-stemmed ‘Sibirica’ and white-edged ‘Argenteo-marginata’ types.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: The name alba means white and points to the pale fruit, not the stem color.

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