+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## gray dogwood {#gray-dogwood .Title-Header}                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| *Cornus racemosa* Lam.                                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Symbol = CORA6                                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Gray Dogwood (Cornus
racemosa)](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.927165354330709in"
height="1.9897637795275591in"}

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

Gray dogwood is useful as a low-growing wild hedge which provides summer
food and some cover for small animals and birds.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

*Cornus racemosa* Lam, gray dogwood, is a thickly branched, slow growing
dogwood seldom more than 6 feet high at maturity. Its flowers, which
bloom in June or July, are white and loosely clustered, and its white
fruit, which appears in September and October, is set off by bright red
fruit-stalks. Its leaves are opposite, taper-pointed and oval.

##### Adaptation {#adaptation .Header-3}

Gray dogwood has a range of adaptability equaled by few other shrubs,
and it tolerates many climatic conditions. Tolerance to shade is
considered intermediate. It is not well adapted to coastal plain
conditions.

Gray dogwood is distributed throughout the northeastern United States.
For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page
for this species on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Only seedlings of gray dogwood are practical. All should be planted as
early in the spring as possible. When using dogwood for streambank
planting, eroded or steep banks should be graded before planting. Plant
in the early spring with dormant planting stock. Planting after May will
severely reduce chances for success. One-year rooted cuttings or
seedlings can be planted vertically into the bank with one or two inches
of cutting wood protruding. They should be stuck in a hole large enough
to accommodate the root system when well spread. The soil must be tamped
well around the roots. Fresh, unrooted hardwood cuttings, easier to
handle but less reliable, should be stuck vertically into the bank,
leaving one to two inches above ground. A dibble can be used to make a
hole. Tamp adequately to provide complete contact between the cutting
and the soil. Cuttings may also be buried horizontally two inches deep
in damp soil, if the ground is stony. Fresh hardwood cuttings, 3/8 to
1/2 inch at the thick end, 9 inches long, and made while dormant, are
ideal. Without cold storage, planting should be done as soon as possible
after cutting. Plant both rooted cuttings and unrooted hardwood cuttings
on 2 feet spacing in a diamond pattern.

When using for wildlife or screening purposes, the planting site should
be cultivated to destroy existing vegetation. If not, the sod should be
removed from an area two feet across for each plant. The holes should be
deep enough to allow for the full extension of the roots. Spacing for
hedges and screens should be staggered and 2 x 2 feet, and 4 to 5 feet
for windbreaks. A small handful of fertilizer can be placed around each
plant.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

Dogwoods used on streambanks are subject to mechanical damage. The site
should be inspected annually for needed repairs in the spring after
heavy runoff or ice floes. Fill in gaps by replanting or by laying down
and covering branches of nearby plants. Any mechanical measures used to
control the bank, such as riprap, must be kept in repair to maintain
effective protection.

Competing vegetation should be controlled around all dogwood plants used
for hedges, screens, etc. This is particularly important during the
first few years after planting.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

There are currently no serious pests of gray dogwood.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

No cultivars are available at this time, however common seedlings are
available at most commercial hardwood nurseries.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 01Feb2002 JLK; 25may06jsp {#edited-01feb2002-jlk-25may06jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*