Cornus nuttallii

The small flowers are in a dense cluster surrounded by large white bracts.

The leaves are opposite, simple, oval, 8–12 cm long, and 5–8 cm broad. The flowers are individually small and inconspicuous, 2–3 mm across, produced in a dense, rounded, greenish-white flowerhead 2 cm diameter; the 4-8 large white "petals" are actually bracts, each bract 4–7 cm long and broad. The fruit is a compound pink-red berry about 3 cm diameter, containing 50–100 small seeds; it is edible, though not very palatable. They are eaten by band-tailed pigeon.[3]

Like the related Cornus florida, it is very susceptible to dogwood anthracnose, a disease caused by the fungus Discula destructiva. This has killed many of the larger plants in the wild and also restricted its use as an ornamental tree.

Cornus nuttallii is named after Thomas Nuttall, an English botanist and zoologist who worked in North America in the nineteenth century.

Some Plateau Indian tribes used the bark as a laxative and emetic.[4]

It has been the provincial flower of British Columbia[5] since 1956.[6] It was once protected by law in the province (in an act which also protected Rhododendron macrophyllum and Trillium ovatum),[7] but this was repealed in 2002.[8]

Cornus is the ancient Latin word for the Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas. 'Cornus' means 'horn'.[9]

Nuttallii is named for Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), a grower of American plants at Rainhill in Lancashire, though he lived in Long Preston, Yorkshire.[9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cornus nuttallii.

• Plants of British Columbia: Cornus nuttallii
• Jepson Flora Project: Cornus nuttallii
• Interactive Distribution Map of Cornus nuttallii