Comox Valley Naturalists Society

April, 2004
Krista Kaptein

An explosion of spring is about to happen. On my street is a dogwood tree, that when it flowers, is the embodiment of the astonishing exuberance of spring. In the woods all around, Pacific dogwood trees are similarly waiting to burst into bloom.

Pacific dogwood, known botanically as Cornus nuttallii, is the floral emblem of the province of BC. The flowers are about 20 tiny, greenish-yellow flowers, clustered in the middle of 4-7 petal-like bracts, white to pinkish in colour, appearing to be one large flower.

Cornus nuttallii flowers from April to June, and sometimes again in September. The bracts protect the inner flowers, and the white colour attracts many species of insect pollinators. The white bracts do not fall off until all the smaller flowers inside are pollinated, and thus bloom for a long time. Each twig to which the large flower is attached is bent, displaying each flower individually, making it an extremely showy tree when in bloom.

John James Audubon (1780-1851), the American ornithologist and artist, who painted Cornus nuttallii in his famous work ‘Birds of America’, named it for its collector, Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859), the British-American botanist and ornithologist.

In BC, the flower of the Pacific dogwood became the official floral emblem in 1956. The blossom of the dogwood was considered a symbol of BC before it was officially adopted. During World War II, the sale of dogwood lapel pins earned money to purchase wool and other comforts for BC soldiers. Dogwood blossoms are depicted on BC’s coat of arms.

The Heritage Society of BC has a stylized dogwood flower as their logo. In 2003, a ‘New Era’ at BC Ferries meant the retiring of their traditional dogwood flower logo, replacing it with a double-wave symbol, a change that was mourned by many.

All parts of the Pacific dogwood, including the flower, berries, wood and bark, were formerly protected by law from being dug up or cut down in the province of BC. In 2002 the provincial government repealed the Dogwood, Rhododendron and Trillium Protection Act.

The range of the Pacific dogwood includes southwestern British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, to the Sierra Nevada in California. Its mature height is about 10 m with a canopy spread of 7 m and trunk circumference of 1m. A huge tree in Portland Oregon is the largest of three dogwoods on that city’s heritage tree register, with a height 12m, canopy spread 17m, and a trunk 4 m around!

The wood is extremely hard, heavy, strong, and close-grained. The wood was used by First Nations people, for wooden handles, hooks, and skewers called 'dags', thus the name ‘Dagwood’ which over time became ‘Dogwood’. The long slender branches have been used in making baby baskets, as well as arrows, knitting needles and in modern times, piano keys.

An important wildlife tree, deer browse the leaves and twigs, while beaver eat the leaves, fruit and wood. The fruit is a staple for black bears in the fall. Clusters of tightly-grouped berries called 'drupes' develop from the flowers. By the end of August they add orange-scarlet colour to the tree, as do the leaves that turn reddish in the fall. The berries provide food for many birds such as pileated woodpecker, flicker, and band-tailed pigeon.

Pacific dogwood grows at low elevations in open or dense mixed forests, often along streams banks or sloping draws in moist, well-drained soil. This makes it an excellent selection in reclamation, for erosion control and stream bank stabilization. The tree is fairly shade tolerant and will also grow in mostly sunny areas.

During the past 15 years, Pacific dogwoods have been hit by an anthracnose disease, a fungus that causes browning of the leaves, twig dieback, and, in severe cases, death of the tree. Growers have developed a number of hybrids, however the disease does not seem to be as prevalent in the native dogwood as once feared.

Pacific dogwood is a beautiful tree with its dazzling flowers, dark green leaves, and brilliant red fruits. It was chosen as a commemorative planting for the Federation of BC Naturalists celebrating their 30th anniversary. Imagine if everyone planted a dogwood to celebrate BC ¯ we would be surrounded by flowers, birds, and colour on our streets which would reflect our natural heritage of the landscape around us.

Click on a link below to view the CVNS newspaper column.