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Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in wet to moist forests and thickets. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

95
Keystone

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 10 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun to part shade
Soil moisture
Average

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
August to October

Recorded in 11 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

99CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Cornus

  • Celastrina ladonSpring Azure
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Show all 99
  • Ancylis muricanaRed-Headed Ancylis
  • Anisota virginiensisPink-striped Oakworm Moth
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips griseaGray Archips
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Archips rileyanaSouthern Ugly-Nest Caterpillar Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis diluticostanaSpring Dead-Leaf Roller Moth, Oak Cenopis
  • Choristoneura fractivittanaBroken-Banded Leafroller, Lined Corn-Borer Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Dasychira basiflavaYellow-Based Tussock Moth
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena serrataThe Saw-Wing
  • Euchlaena tigrinariaMotted Euchlaena
  • Eudeilinia herminiataNorthern Eudeilinia [for Eudeilinia herminiata], Dogwood Caterpillar, Southern Eudeilinia [for Eudeilinia luteifera]
  • Eumarozia malachitanaSculptured Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Euthyatira pudensDogwood Thyatirid
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hydrelia albiferaFragile White Carpet
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena abalienalisWhite-Lined Bomolocha, White-Lined Snout
  • Hypena bijugalisDimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Olethreutes connectumBunchberry Leaffolder
  • Olethreutes inornatanaInornate Olethreutes
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia garmaniGarman's Quaker
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Parasa indeterminaStinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Rose Slug Caterpillar
  • Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Rifargia subrotataSmall Heterocampa
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sphinx chersisGreat Ash Sphinx
  • Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
  • Syndemis afflictanaFall Dead-Leaf Roller, Gray Leafroller, Black-and-Grey Banded Leafroller
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tortricidia pallidaRed-Cross Button Slug
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Zale aeruginosaGreen-Dusted Zale
  • Zale undularisBlack Zale
  • Acleris ptychogrammos
  • Carposina ottawana
  • Olethreutes exaeresimum
  • Paralobesia rhoifructana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
15BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Cornus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Swida

  • Andrena fragilis
  • Andrena integra
  • Andrena persimulata
  • Andrena platyparia
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
28BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cornus

  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Show all 28
  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Contopus virensEastern Wood-Pewee
  • Empidonax alnorum/trailliiAlder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)
  • Empidonax flaviventrisYellow-bellied Flycatcher
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Melanerpes erythrocephalusRed-headed Woodpecker
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sayornis nigricansBlack Phoebe
  • Tachycineta bicolorTree Swallow
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo philadelphicusPhiladelphia Vireo
  • Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Cornaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Cornus racemosa; Northern Swamp Dogwood

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources