Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Cornus glabrata is a species in the Cornaceae (Dogwood) family native to California and Oregon and known by the common name Brown Dogwood and several other names. It is found in the Coast Ranges and the Sierra foothills, below 5,000 ft., and on some of the Channel Islands. This is a large shrub or thicket-forming bush with very limber branches that often come down to the ground and root to form new plants. It also spreads by root suckers. The bark may be brown, reddish or purple, giving it interest in winter when it is leafless. The bright green leaves turn red in fall. It bears plentiful clusters of fuzzy white flowers and bluish-white berries. This shrub is most often found near water, usually directly on the bank of a water source, but it can become less thirsty in the garden by periodic deep watering.

Plant type

Shrub, Tree

Size

5 - 20 ft Tall

Form

Weeping

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Calscape icon
Color

White, Red

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Deer resistant

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

High, Moderate

Summer irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Ease of care

Moderate

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil drainage

Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Maintenance

Prune to shape in late fall after leaves have dropped

Propagation

By cuttings of the stem or rhizome

Sunset Zones

4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Moist places such as stream banks, often in the shade of larger trees

Plant communities

Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest, Wetland-Riparian

Trees - Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Santa Lucia Fir (Abies bracteata), Duoglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and many others. Shrubs and herbs - Meadow Rue (Thalictrum fendleri), Snowdrop Bush (Styrax redivivus), Yellow Monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata), Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum).

Bats
Birds
Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

0 confirmed and 39 likely

Confirmed Likely

Forbes' Acleris Moth

Acleris forbesana

Fingered Dagger Moth

Acronicta dactylina

Funerary Dagger Moth

Acronicta funeralis

Triton Dagger Moth

Acronicta grisea