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Gray Dogwood (Cornus foemina)

• Family: Dogwood (Cornaceae)
• Flowering: May-June.
• Field Marks: This is the only wetland dogwood with gray branchlets and blue fruits. The lower surface of the leaves is green and without hairs.
• Habitat: Swamps, low woods, wet open ground.
• Habit: Shrub up to 8 feet tall, much branched.
• Stems: Gray, smooth.
• Leaves: Opposite, simple, lanceolate to elliptic to ovate, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, without teeth, smooth and green on both surfaces,up to 3 inches long, up to 1 1/4 inches broad.
• Flowers: Several in a round-topped cluster, white.
• Sepals: 4, united, green.
• Petals: 4, free from each other, white.
• Stamens: 4.
• Pistils: 1; style 1; ovary inferior.
• Fruits: Drupes blue, spherical, 1/6-1/4 inch in diameter.
• Notes: This species is usually called stiff dogwood. This species has been confused with C. racemosa and does not occur in the Great Plains.