Alternate-Leaved Dogwood

Cornus alternifolia

Pagoda dogwood earns its name from the strikingly horizontal, tiered branching that stacks in flat planes like a pagoda roof. The form is as striking in winter bare as it is in full leaf. Clusters of small white flowers in late spring cover the horizontal layers and attract native bees. Blue-black berries on bright red stems ripen in early summer and are eaten quickly by thrushes and waxwings. More cold-hardy than flowering dogwood and better adapted to woodland shade, pagoda dogwood fills the understory role where conditions are too cold or too shaded for its more famous relative. The tiered architecture is unique among native trees. use it as a specimen where the form will be appreciated from multiple angles, or at the edge of a woodland where the horizontal lines break up vertical tree trunks effectively.