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.