OTHER DOGWOODS
Several other dogwoods, most of them rarely if ever attaining the stature of small trees, occur in Illinois.
Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa Lam.). This plant rarely exceeds a height of 10 feet. It is distinguished by its slender gray twigs, its small white flowers borne in clusters about as broad as high, and its white berries about ¼ inch in diameter. The Racemose Dogwood occurs in a variety of habitats, including prairies and woods.
Stiff Dogwood (Cornus foemina Mill.). This small dogwood has brownish twigs with white pith and bluish fruits. Its leaves usually are smooth on both surfaces. It occurs in low, wet woods.
Round-leaved Dogwood (Cornus rugosa Lam.). As the name implies, this shrubby dogwood has roundish leaves which are woolly on the lower surface. The greenish twigs have white pith. The berries are pale blue. The Round-leaved Dogwood grows in dry, rocky woods.
Red Osier (Cornus stolonifera Michx.). Red Osier has dark red twigs with white pith. The leaves are pale and somewhat hairy on the lower surface. The berries are white or grayish. Red Osier usually grows along shores, often forming thickets.
Silky Dogwood (Cornus obliqua Raf.). This plant is usually a shrub, but may get as much as 15 feet tall. It has twigs with pale brown pith. The leaves are pale on the lower surface, and usually have white, appressed hairs. The berries are blue. Silky Dogwood grows in low ground.
Willow Dogwood (Cornus amomum Mill.). The Willow Dogwood rarely exceeds a height of 10 feet. Like the Silky Dogwood, it has twigs with pale brown pith. The leaves usually have reddish-colored hairs on the lower surface. The berries are pale blue. Willow Dogwood grows in low ground.
Gray Dogwood
COCK-SPUR THORN
Crataegus crus-galli L.
Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown broadly rounded.
Bark: Dark brown, scaly.
Twigs: Moderately stout, light brown, smooth, usually with sharp spines up to 4 inches long; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ¼ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, usually smooth.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades broadest above the middle, rounded or short-pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 4 inches long, up to 1½ inches broad, leathery, toothed along the edges, at least in the upper half of the leaf, dark green, smooth, shiny on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 1 inch long, smooth.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in May and June, each up to ¾ inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to ½ inch in diameter, red, fleshy but dry, with 1-2 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Habitat: Wooded slopes, thickets.
Range: Southern Ontario across to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to South Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: Cock-spur Thorn differs from most other hawthorns in Illinois by its leathery, shiny leaves which are broadest above the middle.
RED HAW
Crataegus mollis (Torr. & Gray) Scheele
Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 14 inches; crown widely spreading.
Bark: Gray-brown, scaly, deeply furrowed.
Twigs: Moderately stout, gray or brown, smooth or slightly hairy, rarely with spines; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ¼ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, usually hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, broadest near the base, short-pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 4 inches long and nearly as broad, coarsely toothed along the edges, occasionally with shallow lobes, yellow-green and hairy on the upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 1 inch long, hairy.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in April and May, each up to 1 inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to 1 inch in diameter, red, fleshy but dry, with 4-5 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Habitat: Moist woods.
Range: Southern Ontario across to Minnesota, south to Oklahoma, east to Alabama.
Distinguishing Features: The Red Haw is distinguished by its densely hairy, ovate leaves which are often shallowly lobed.
PRUINOSE HAW
Crataegus pruinosa (Wendl.) K. Koch
Growth Form: Small tree to 15 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown broad and irregular.
Bark: Dark gray, scaly, furrowed.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, smooth, with spines up to 2 inches long; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, smooth or nearly so.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades mostly ovate, broadest below the middle, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 3 inches long and about ⅔ as broad, coarsely toothed along the edges and frequently shallowly lobed, bluish-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface; leafstalks stout, up to 1 inch long, smooth or somewhat hairy.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in May and early June, each up to 1 inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to ¾ inch in diameter, dark red to purple, fleshy but dry, with 5 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Habitat: Woods and thickets.
Range: Newfoundland to southern Ontario, south to Arkansas, east to North Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: The Pruinose Haw is distinguished by its bluish-green leaves which are widest just below the middle.
