woodland wildflower
Canadian bunchberry
Cornus canadensis
Also known as Bunchberry Dogwood
1 of 2Native to much of the USA and Canada
Greenland across northern North America to northeast Eurasia. Labrador to Alaska, south to Maryland, Virginia mountains, Ohio, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Mexico mountains and northern California.
- Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
- Moisture Moist Moisture preference
- Zones 1–8 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Sep Flowering time
- Height up to 10 in to 25 cm
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A woodland wildflower for sun through shade and evenly moist soil. At up to 10 in, it tucks into shade gardens and woodland edges. It spreads readily, so give it room or a contained spot. Hardy in USDA zones 1–8.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
Pollinators & wildlife
- Flower flies Margined Calligrapher
also Common Drone Fly, Thick-legged Hover Fly, Greater Bee Fly +27 more
Oblique-banded Pond Fly, Hairy-eyed Bee-mimic Fly, Dusky-banded Leafwalker, Wasp-like Falsehorn, White-spotted Pond Fly, Long-horned Yellowjacket Fly, Yellow-haltered Leafwalker, Bare-bellied Falsehorn, Confusing Wood Fly, Black-bristled Logsitter, Canadian Potter Fly, Long-nosed Pond Fly, Yellow-haired Leafwalker, Beautiful Patterneye, Boreal Bristleside, Yellow-haired Falsehorn, Blera badia, Blera nigripes, Tropidia quadrata, Cheilosia sialia, Narrow-striped Globetail, Symmetric Globetail, Xylota bigelowi, Hine's Leafwalker, Bombylius mexicanus, Black-horned Pufftail, Orange-faced Wood Fly - Bees Tricolored Bumble Bee
also Perplexing Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee +16 more
Confusing Furrow Bee, Gracile Nomad, Snowy Mining Bee, Meadow Parsnip Miner Bee, Osmia proxima, Sigmund's Mining Bee, W-labrum Miner, Cinquefoil Masked Bee, Brown-fovea Miner, Singular Miner Bee, Rose Miner Bee, Macoupin County sweat bee, Nomada sayi, Quebec Sweat Bee, Milwaukee Mining Bee, Dwarf-dandelion Mining Bee - Beetles Stripe-legged Long-horned Beetle
also Judolia montivagans, Anthaxia expansa, Evodinus monticola +1 more
Acmaeopsoides rufula - Also visited by
- Butterflies:
Pearl Crescent, Silvery Blue +5 more
Green Comma, Arctic Skipper, Amblyscirtes hegon, Holly Blue, Green-veined White - Moths: Hickory Tussock Moth
- Butterflies:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Summer azurecaterpillar host
- Pearl crescentnectar
- Silvery bluenectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Much of the USA and CanadaUnited States (29): AK, CO, CT, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, ND, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY. Canada (9): AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Greenland across northern North America to northeast Eurasia. Labrador to Alaska, south to Maryland, Virginia mountains, Ohio, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Mexico mountains and northern California.The same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 1–8 · Canadian 0–8The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Damp, cool, acid soil or peat mossThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.9The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- HighHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- up to 10 in (to 25 cm)Typical mature height.
- Spread
- ~3 ft (1 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- SlowA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ProstrateIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 10+ in (25+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- May–SepWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- White, Yellow, Green, BrownThe bloom color, or colors.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, cuttings, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- LowHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- RapidWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.