ALTERNATE-LEAVED DOGWOOD
Cornus alternifolia L.
Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 3 inches; crown flattened.
Bark: Brown, slightly roughened, with shallow furrows.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown or greenish, smooth; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, somewhat elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Narrowly ovoid, pointed, smooth, up to ¼ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, although often clustered toward the tip of the twig, simple; blades oval to ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering or rounded at the base, up to 5 inches long, about half as broad, the edges smooth or finely round-toothed, green and mostly smooth on the upper surface, paler and frequently hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks up to 2 inches long, usually finely hairy.
Flowers: Several in crowded round-topped clusters, appearing in May and June, each flower white, with 4 narrow petals.
Fruit: Blue, spherical berries up to ⅓ inch in diameter, borne on a red stalk.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.