categoryZUnderShrubs UnderShrubs List 
categoryZBroadleaf Broadleaf List 
categoryZDeciduous Deciduous List 

DWARF CORNEL

Cornus suecica

(Formerly: Chamaepericlymenum suecicum)
Dogwood Family [Cornaceae]

Flowers:
month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept


Berries: berryZpossible        berryZred  (non-poisonous, unpalatable, glaucous, 5-10mmφ)
berry8aug berry8sep berry8sept berry8oct berry8nov

category
category8UnderShrubs
category
category8Broadleaf
category
category8Deciduous
status
statusZnative
flower
flower8black
flower
flower8indigo
flower
flower8cream
inner
inner8yellow
morph
morph8actino
petals
petalsZ4
stem
stem8round
rarity
rarityZuncommon
sex
sexZbisexual

July 2019, on 'Carn an Fhidhleir' & 'An Sgarsoch', Cairngorms. Photo: © Kenneth Sutherland
Dwarf Cornel is an undershrub which grows mainly in the highlands of Scotland on moorland and heathlands amongst the likes of Heather, Bilberry or under Bracken. It grows up to 20cm high. Finger for scale. Leaves in opposite pairs, in quadrature around the stem.


July 2019, on 'Carn an Fhidhleir' & 'An Sgarsoch', Cairngorms. Photo: © Kenneth Sutherland
It has Dogwood like elliptical leaves between 1 to 3cm long with 3 or 5 curved veins. The sepal cup is long and just visible below the four red-tipped white bracts.


July 2019, on 'Carn an Fhidhleir' & 'An Sgarsoch', Cairngorms. Photo: © Kenneth Sutherland
The largest parts of the flower are white to cream, and red-tipped, but are not the petals; rather the bracts. The flowers themselves are dark purple, here almost black. Here there are about 8 flowers sitting above the centre of the white bracts. The centre of the bracts is yellow/orange. The leaves have short hairs appressed to the top surface (your Author doesn't know if there are also hairs beneath).


July 2019, on 'Carn an Fhidhleir' & 'An Sgarsoch', Cairngorms. Photo: © Kenneth Sutherland
The individual flowers are tiny, all crowded in the centre of the 4 bracts. They have 4 short triangular petals. A long concolorous style sticks way beyond the annular hole it comes out of. There are 4 white anthers with cream/yellow anthers which also splay above the petals but not as high as the styles with their pale discoidal stigma atop.


July 2019, on 'Carn an Fhidhleir' & 'An Sgarsoch', Cairngorms. Photo: © Kenneth Sutherland
The petals are also elliptical, with a short, blunt, red-tipped end. The petals also have curved 'veins' like the leaves.


Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : see photos!

No relation to : Dwarf Amaranth (Amaranthus macrocarpus), Dwarf Birch (Betula nana), Dwarf Sedge (Carex hostiana), Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum), Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaule), Dwarf Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster nanshan), Dwarf Spike-rush (Eleocharis parvula), Dwarf Spurge (Euphorbia exigua), Dwarf Cudweed (Gnaphalium supinum), Dwarf Rush (Juncus capitatus), Dwarf Juniper (Juniperus communis ssp. nana), Dwarf Mallow (Malva neglecta), Dwarf Stonewort (Nitella tenuissima), Dwarf Mountain-pine (Pinus mugo), Dwarf Bamboo (Pleioblastus pygmaeus), Dwarf Milkwort (Polygala amarella), Dwarf Cherry (Prunus cerasus), Dwarf Willow (Salix herbacea), Dwarf Elder (Sambucus ebulus), Dwarf Marigold (Schkuhria pinnata), Dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor), Dwarf Pansy (Viola kitaibeliana) nor Dwarf Eel-grass (Zostera noltei), [plants with similar names belonging to differing families].

The plant is an uncommon [R] and grows mainly on the mountains on the west side of northern Scotland, but apparently can get as far south as the hills in South Lancashire, although your Author has never seen one there (nor at all, come to think of it). It grows amidst moorland plants such as Heather, Bilberry, Bearberry, Crowberry and underneath taller plants such as Bracken - which all hate alkaline soils as does Dwarf Cornel. It is short and with few if any branches, up to 20cm high, and spreads by underground rhizomes.


  Cornus suecica  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Cornaceae  

Distribution
 family8Dogwood family8Cornaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Cornus
Cornus
(Dogwoods)

DWARF CORNEL

Cornus suecica

(Formerly: Chamaepericlymenum suecicum)
Dogwood Family [Cornaceae]