Cornus amomum
Cornus amomum, the silky dogwood, is a species of dogwood native to the eastern United States, from Michigan and Vermont south to Alabama and Florida.[1] Other names for this dogwood have included red willow, silky cornel, kinnikinnick, and squawbush.[2]
Cornus amomum is a deciduous shrub growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are opposite, up to 10 cm (4 in) long and 7 cm (2+3⁄4 in) broad, oval with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in cymes. The fruit is a small blue drupe.[3] Cornus amomum usually blooms between May and June, producing four-petalled showy yellowish white flowers.[4] Cornus amomum leaves are rusty brown and pubescent,[5] occurring opposite from one another and usually having between 4 and 5 veins per leaf side.[6] If Cornus amomum is left unattended it will grow to create thickets and thick vegetative areas.
Silky dogwood is usually included in the dogwood genus Cornus as Cornus amomum Mill., although it is sometimes segregated in a separate genus as Swida amomum (Mill.) Small. The more northerly-occurring Cornus obliqua was formerly included in this species as Cornus amomum subsp. obliqua (Raf.) J.S. Wilson, but is now generally recognized as a distinct species.[7]
Cornus amomum is a native eastern North American shrub, finding suitable habitat in wetland areas like swamps, marshes and bogs.[4] The distribution of the shrub also extends west past the Mississippi river to the eastern borders of Kansas, Nebraska, and parts of northern Oklahoma. Cornus amomum is only found within the U.S. while other species such as the Cornus obliqua can be found in Canada.[9]Cornus amomum prefers partial shade but can tolerate full sun.[10] When planted, the use of organic materials to maintain a wet environment will help the shrub when insufficient water is present. Cornus amomum is grows near or around creeks or water systems.[5] Cornus amomum can be found in the following states: West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont, South Carolina, Maine, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, District of Columbia, Delaware, Connecticut, Alabama, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Cornus amomum has been found at elevations from 0 feet to 1500 feet of elevation.[11]
