sericea – silky (Latin), referring to the hairs present on young twigs and upper leaf surfaces

Native range: Northern North America

Leaves:

• opposite
• elliptic to ovate
• 5–7 vein pairs
• arcuate veins
• hairs on upper surface

Flowers:

• terminal flower cluster w/ central stem (cyme)
• 4-merous
• no bracts
• white petals

Fruit:

• drupe
• white or bluish white
• small (1/3”)

Other characteristics:

• deciduous shrub to 9 ft.
• dark red branchlets
• prostrate and often rooting lower branches
• many new cultivars w/ yellow, orange, and bright red branches (coppice to keep desired color)
• red stems somewhat resemble the reddish stems of some osier willows

Relevant info:

• regarded as an aggressive/invasive species in south-central Canada and Mid-western US
• Northwest form was formerly known as C. stolonifera var. occidentalis
  • accepted name is now C. sericea subsp. occidentalis or C. occidentalis (creek dogwood, western red osier), depending on source

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to Alaska to California, common both sides of the Cascades, east to Idaho
• found in moist soil, typically in swamps, wet meadows, marshes, lake shores, river banks, and streamside forest and scrub (shrub-dominated), but also in open upland forest and thickets and (in Alaska) rocky shorelines, bog-forest edges and disturbed sites
• valley bottoms to middle elevations (0–2000 m.)
• vegetative reproduction:
  • shrubs often form clumps or dense thickets by stolons and prostrate, rooting stems and lower branches
  • stolons can extend as far as 10 ft. (3 m.) from parent plant
  • regenerates from root crowns following stem damage or top-kill
  • cuttings of young branches (live stakes) used in wetland restoration
• pollinated by bees (especially bumble bees), flies, and butterflies
• seeds are dispersed by many birds and mammals (including bears, woodrats, chipmunks and mice) that eat the fruit, which are a desirable food source because they’re high in fat and moderately high in protein
• tolerant of scouring and flooding and large fluctuations in water level:
  • lenticels (pores) in bark facilitate absorption of oxygen that is transported to roots in saturated or flooded soils
  • vegetative reproduction reduces reliance on seeds for spreading (germinating seeds can “drown” in wet conditions due to lack of oxygen)
• shade tolerance:
  • shrubs growing in full sun are typically dense and compact, with many lateral branches
  • shrubs growing in shade are typically open and sprawling, with few branches, with maximizes light capture
  • leaves growing in the shade are generally larger and thinner than those growing in full sun, which maximizes light capture and minimizes investment in photosynthesizing structures
• wildlife:
  • twigs are important winter browse for moose, elk, deer, but stands may be reduced with repeated browsing
  • mountain goats, beavers, and rabbits also browse