Gray dogwood grows 1.2 to 3 m (4 to 10 ft) high, rarely to 8 m (26 ft).[3] It often sends up suckers from underground rhizomes, forming thickets. Its bark is gray and its twigs have white pith. The leaves are 4–8 cm (1+1⁄2–3+1⁄4 in) long and 1–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) wide, and typically have 3 or 4 pairs of lateral veins, fewer than other dogwood species.[4] The plant grows upright with a rounded habit, oppositely arranged leaves, and terminally born flowers. The white flowers are small, with four petals 2.3 to 3 mm (0.091 to 0.118 in) long, and clustered together in rounded clusters 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) wide called diachasial cymes,[4] produced sometime between May and July.[5] After flowering, green fruits (drupes) are produced, and they ripen and turn white from August to October.[5] The flowers and fruit are attached to the plant by bright red pedicels. Many species of birds feed on the fruits.[4] Old branches grow slowly, while new stems are fast growing. In the fall the foliage can take on a reddish or purplish color, though it is not overly showy from a distance.
Classification
Cornus racemosa has been variably treated as a subspecies of Cornus foemina Mill., with which it overlaps.[5]
^Coladonato, Milo (1993). "Cornus racemosa". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
