bunchberry
(Cornus canadensis)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | N5? - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Wetland Indicator Status |
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| Great Plains | FACU - Facultative upland |
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| Midwest | FAC - Facultative |
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| Northcentral & Northeast | FAC - Facultative |
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Description |
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Bunchberry is a 4″ to 8″ tall, erect, perennial, herbaceous shrub that rises from a creeping, slender, woody rhizome. It often forms colonies. The stems are erect, slender, unbranched, and hairless. There are 2 or 3 pairs of opposite leaves at the top, and 1 or 2 pairs of tiny, vestigial, scale-like leaves lower on the stem. The space between the nodes of the leaves at the top is short, causing the leaves to appear as a whorl of 4 or 6 at the end of the stem. The leaves are 1½″ to 3″ long, on short, 1 ⁄16″ to ⅛″ long leaf stalks. The leaf blade is papery, inversely egg-shaped, with the attachment at the narrow end, or diamond-shaped. They taper to a point at the tip and taper at the base to the leaf stalk. They have 2 or 3 pairs of conspicuous lateral veins arising from the midvein in the lower third of the leaf and curving into an arch. The upper surface is dark green and shiny. The lower surface is paler green. The margins are untoothed. The leaves turn red in the fall. The inflorescence is a solitary, compact cluster of many small flowers rising on a ⅜″ to 1⅛″ long stalk at the end of the stem. Below the cluster are 4 white to purplish, petal-like bracts, giving the overall appearance of a single, terminal, ¾″ to 1½″ wide flower. The individual flowers are about 1 ⁄16″ wide. The fruit is a bright red, globular drupe, 3 ⁄16″ to ¼″ in diameter, borne in a dense cluster. |
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Height |
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4″ to 8″ |
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Flower Color |
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White to purplish |
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Similar Species |
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Habitat |
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Moist. Woods, bogs. |
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Ecology |
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Flowering |
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May to July |
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Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 2/24/2023 | ||||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) | ||
| Class | Magnoliopsida (flowering plants) | ||
| Superorder | Asteranae | ||
Order |
Cornales (dogwoods, hydrangeas, and allies) | ||
Family |
Cornaceae (dogwood) | ||
| Subfamily | Cornoideae | ||
Genus |
Cornus (dogwoods) | ||
| Subgenus | Arctocrania (dwarf dogwoods) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Chamaepericlymenum canadense Cornella canadensis Cornus canadensis var. dutillyi |
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Common Names |
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bunchberry bunchberry dogwood Canadian bunchberry cracker-berry dwarf cornel pudding-berry |
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Glossary
Bract
Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.
Drupe
A fleshy fruit with a single hard, stone-like core, like a cherry or peach.
Herbaceous
A plant without a persistent, above-ground, woody stem, with the leaves and stems dying back to the ground at the end of the growing season.
Node
The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.
Rhizome
A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.
Vestigial
An organ or part that is much reduced in size, imperfectly formed, and nonfunctional, that may have been larger, perfectly formed, and functional at one time.
Visitor Photos |
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Luciearl |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Habitat |
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Flowering Plant |
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Fruiting Plant |
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Leaves |
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| Four-leaved plant and six-leaved plants |  |
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Infructescence |
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Slideshows |
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| Bunchberry DianesDigitals |
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About
Copyright DianesDigitals |
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| Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) Andree Reno Sanborn |
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Visitor Videos |
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Other Videos |
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| MyNature Apps; Identifying Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis MyNatureApps |
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About
Uploaded on May 31, 2011 How to identify Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis also known as Bunchberry Dogwood, Dwarf Dogwood, Canadian Bunchberry or Dogwood Bunchberry. www.mynatureapps.com |
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| Cornus canadensis wetvideocamera |
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About
Published on Jun 12, 2013 Bunchberry , Ground Dogwood , Dwarf Dogwood , a low ground-cover plant with small flowers enclosed within four petal-like bracts. The bright red cluster of berries are sweet though pulpy. Found in moist, coniferous forests in the Pacific Northwest. |
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| Exploding Bunchberry Video at 10,000 FPS DELimaging |
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About
Uploaded on Aug 1, 2011 DEL Imaging Systems video of a bunchberry, a type of Dogwood, pollen explosion. the world's fastest plant, taken with an IDT Redlake high-speed video camera system at 10,000 FPS (frames per second). |
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Visitor Sightings |
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| Luciearl 5/29/2016 |
Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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