Common Dogwood
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| Common Dogwood | ||||||||||||||||
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 Common Dogwood fruit
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| Cornus sanguinea L. |
The Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea, syn. Swida sanguinea) is a species of dogwood native to most of Europe and western Asia, occurring north to southern England and southern Scandinavia, and east to the Caspian Sea.
It is a medium to large deciduous shrub, growing 2-6 m tall, with dark greenish-brown branches and twigs. The leaves are opposite, 4-8 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, with an ovate to oblong shape and an entire margin; they are green above, slightly paler below, and rough with short stiff pubescence. The hermaphrodite flowers are small (5-10 mm diameter), with four creamy white petals, produced in clusters 3-5 cm diameter, and are insect pollinated. The fruit is a globose black berry 5-8 mm diameter, containing a single seed. These berries are called dogberries.
For more information on Common Dogwood, and Dogwoods in general see article Dogwood.
