Cornus sessilis
Encyclopedia
Cornus sessilis is a species of dogwood
known by the common names blackfruit cornel or blackfruit dogwood and miner's dogwood. This is a shrub
or small tree which is endemic to northern California
, where it grows along streambanks in the Cascades
, Sierra Nevada
, and the coastal mountain ranges. It is a tree of the redwood understory in its native range. This dogwood may approach five meters in height at maximum. It is deciduous
, bearing deeply-veined oval green leaves in season which turn red before falling. Its inflorescence
is a cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by thick, pointed bract
s. The fruit is a round drupe
about a centimeter wide which is white when new and gradually turns shiny black. The fruit attracts many birds.
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
known by the common names blackfruit cornel or blackfruit dogwood and miner's dogwood. This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
or small tree which is endemic to northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
, where it grows along streambanks in the Cascades
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
, Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (US)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, between the California Central Valley and the Basin and Range Province. The Sierra runs north-to-south, and is approximately across east-to-west...
, and the coastal mountain ranges. It is a tree of the redwood understory in its native range. This dogwood may approach five meters in height at maximum. It is deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, bearing deeply-veined oval green leaves in season which turn red before falling. Its inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers surrounded by thick, pointed bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s. The fruit is a round drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
about a centimeter wide which is white when new and gradually turns shiny black. The fruit attracts many birds.