Index / Search / Cornus alternifolia

§1 Plant

Cornus alternifolia L. f.

vernacular alternateleaf dogwood — species · Cornaceae


USDA
COAL2
GBIF
3082242
Rank
species
alternateleaf dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)
Platephotograph · Frank J. Comodeca source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Habit and range

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Duration
Perennial
Group
Dicot
Family
Cornaceae Bercht. & J. Presl
Genus
Cornus
§2a

Native status, by region

  • CAN Canada Native
  • L48 Lower 48 States Native
  • SPM St. Pierre & Miquelon Native
§2b

County-level range

· 803 counties across 28 states/territories
Legend Native · 803 Introduced · 0 Both · 0 Hover a county for detail.

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought
Low
Shade
Low
Moisture use
Medium
Fire
Low
Salinity
None
Anaerobic
None
CaCO₃
Low
Hedging
Low
§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance
-47 °F minimum
Frost-free days
120 min.
Precipitation
24–70 in/yr
pH range
4.8–7.3
Root depth
20 in min.
Fertility need
Medium
Soil texture
medium
§3c

Form & growth

Growth form
Multiple Stem
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
Moderate
Mature height
25 ft
Height @ 20 y
25 ft
Foliage texture
Medium
Foliage colour
Dark Green
Porosity (summer)
Dense
Porosity (winter)
Porous
Flower colour
White
Fruit colour
Black
Fire resistant
No
N fixation
None
Toxicity
None
§3d

Reproduction

Bloom period
Mid Spring
Seed abundance
Medium
Seed begins
Summer
Seed ends
Fall
Spread rate
Slow
Stratify
Yes
Seeds / lb
8,000
Propagation
seed, cuttings, bare root, container
§3e

Use & availability

Commercial availability
No Known Source
Nursery stock
Yes
Browse palatability
High
Graze palatability
Low
Palatable, human
No
Protein potential
Low
Lumber
No
Christmas tree
No

§4Counties, by state

Recorded in 803 counties across 28 states/territories.

Alabama view state ↗ 14 N
Arkansas view state ↗ 4 N
Delaware view state ↗ 3 N
Florida view state ↗ 4 N
Georgia view state ↗ 19 N
Illinois view state ↗ 35 N
Indiana view state ↗ 51 N
Iowa view state ↗ 2 N
Kentucky view state ↗ 45 N
Maine view state ↗ 16 N
Massachusetts view state ↗ 13 N
Michigan view state ↗ 64 N
Minnesota view state ↗ 48 N
Mississippi view state ↗ 5 N
Missouri view state ↗ 31 N
New Hampshire view state ↗ 10 N
New Jersey view state ↗ 19 N
New York view state ↗ 41 N
North Carolina view state ↗ 22 N
Ohio view state ↗ 78 N
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 66 N
Rhode Island view state ↗ 4 N
South Carolina view state ↗ 4 N
Tennessee view state ↗ 36 N
Vermont view state ↗ 13 N
Virginia view state ↗ 52 N
West Virginia view state ↗ 36 N
Wisconsin view state ↗ 68 N

§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/COAL2 ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/3082242 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26

fetched 2026-05-26T20:46:58Z