365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Red-Osier Dogwood, Cornus Stolonifera
Day 315: Quick! What's an "osier?" If you said, "A flexible twig such as those produced by willows and used in basketry," you're my etymological friend for life. Osiers occur in other woody shrubs as well, including our Pacific Northwest native, Cornus stolonifera. Related to the more familiar flowering Dogwood, Red-osier Dogwood carries cymes of tiny flowers with white petals, unlike its larger cousins which exhibit white bracts (modified leaves) surrounding the true inflorescence. Red-osier Dogwood's blossoms are followed by bitter white berries, edible but not desirable except to deer, elk and moose, and of course the plant's common name is derived from its red twigs. It can be found west of the Cascades from the middle of Oregon to northern British Columbia, and is sometimes used as an ornamental in native-plant gardens.
Labels:
Cornus stolonifera,
Red-osier Dogwood
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment