Pigeonberry

Description
Scientific Name: Cornus alternifolia
Common Names: Pagoda Dogwood, Alternate-leaf Dogwood, Pigeonberry
Plant Type: Small deciduous tree.
Height: 10 to 15 feet. Reaches a maximum height of around 25 feet.
Native Habitat: Understory of mixed forests. Grow in acidic, organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Best performance occurs in cool summer climates. Give consistent moisture and mulch the root zone.
Native Range: Native to the eastern United States, especially northern regions.
Conservation Status: NatureServe lists Cornus alternifolia as Imperiled in Delaware, Florida, and Mississippi. Officially the species is classified as Endangered by Florida.
Cultivation: This plant is shade-tolerant, but will look and perform better in sunlight. Give it slightly-acid well-drained soil and water young plants during dry spells.
Related species: Argentea (sometimes listed as Variegata), the only commonly available variety is a rare form that difficult to propagate and therefore fetches a high price. There is a small, shrubby plant (up to 15 feet high) with layered branches and leaves, which are beautifully colored with a white border. Other nurseries begin to offer this choice in greater numbers.

Flowering Time: May to June.

Pagoda dogwood is a small tree, the undergrowth a large part of the eastern United States. It is its common name from its pagoda-like horizontal branch. An older name, Pigeonberry refers to the fruit that was once a favorite food of the now-extinct passenger pigeon. Its scientific epithet alternifolia, refers to the leaf pattern, changes differently than most dogwoods, along the stem. This plant blooms are not as showy as those of the common dogwood flowers, but they are still attractive. They are creamy or yellowish-white, very fragrant, and form clusters at the ends of the branches. The flowers are berries that gradually changes from green to red to blue-black, followed on red stems. These berries are a valuable food for birds and other wildlife.

The leaves can turn a beautiful reddish-purple before they fall in autumn. The color varies from tree to tree, and may partly depend on growth. The light brownish-gray bark, together with the interesting branching structure, give the plant respond in the winter. This species is found over much of the eastern United States, but there are small genetic differences between plants from different regions. For this reason, plants from a southern seed source is not grown well in the north and vice versa. Pagoda Dogwood is vulnerable to a range of diseases, including branch plagues and cancers. But the way seems to be resistant to dogwood anthracnose, which has killed over the past few years, many flowering dogwood.

Uses

Used as ornamental trees spring flowers are the best decorative feature. Plant as a specimen or in small groups on residential property in houses, near patios or in lawns. Also effective in shrub borders, woodland gardens, bird gardens or naturalized areas.