Common Name: Silky Dogwood

General Information

Cornus amomum is a deciduous shrub that produces a cluster of stems from 3 - 5 metres tall. The plant does not have a rhizomatous rootstock, but can spread somewhat by means of branches occasionally arching to the ground and rooting at the leaf nodes[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine, It is occasionally grown as an ornamental, where it can be used as a hedge and windbreak, but is considered to be best suited for woodland areas[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - Iowa to Maine, south to Missisippi and Florida

Habitat

Alluvial woods, river and stream banks, wet meadows, marshes, ditches; at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Cornus amomum is a very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to around -25°c when dormant.
Succeeds in full sun or light shade[]. Prefers a moist, organically rich, slightly acidic soil in partial shade[], though it is very tolerant and succeeds in any soil of good or moderate fertility[], ranging from acid to shallow chalk[]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
Plants can start flowering when around 150cm tall[].
The plant benefits from a 5 - 10cm deep mulch of organic matter, which will help to keep the roots cool and moist in hot weather[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , ]. Said to be very good to eat[]. The fruit is 8mm in diameter[].
Drupes blue, portion in direct sunlight bleached white, globose, 5–9 mm diam.; stone globose, 4–6 mm diam[].

Medicinal

The dried root-bark is antiperiodic, astringent, stimulant (mild), tonic[]. The flowers are said to have similar properties[].
A tea or tincture of the astringent root bark has been used as a quinine substitute and also in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea[]. It has also been employed in the treatment of painful urination, chest congestion etc[].
The bark was also used as a poultice on external ulcers and as a wash for gonorrhoea sores[, ].
The glycoside 'cornin' found in the bark has astringent properties[].

The fruits are used as a bitter digestive tonic. A tincture of them has been used to restore tone to the stomach in cases of alcoholism[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant can be grown as a hedge[]. It is often used as a windbreak in fields and near farmhouses in N. America[].
It is sometimes planted on slopes to stabilize the soil[].

Other Uses

The powdered bark is used as a toothpowder[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed[, ]. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh since this contains germination inhibitors[, ]. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3 - 4 months and sown as early as possible in the year[]. Scarification may also help as may a period of warm stratification before the cold stratification[, ]. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more[]. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, mid summer in a frame.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage[].
Layering of new growth in early summer/July. Takes 9 months[].