Bloomipedia
Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Photo: er-birds via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Red osier dogwood

Cornus sericea

Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a shrub or small tree in the Cornaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Red osier dogwood is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 8 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–August.

37states where USDA records it
8Bloomipedia state lists include it
22,955U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington

Quick look

Cornus sericea, the red osier or red-osier dogwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cornaceae, native to much of North America. It has sometimes been considered a synonym of the Asian species Cornus alba. Other names include red brush, red willow, redstem dogwood, redtwig dogwood, red-rood, American dogwood, creek dogwood, and western dogwood.

  • It belongs to the Cornaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 37 states. USDA PLANTS
  • In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–August. iNaturalist
  • In Oregon, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,933 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #61 among the 187 flowers on our Washington list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,531 research-grade sightings of it in Oregon, ranking #61 among the 184 flowers on our Oregon list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,228 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #54 among the 152 flowers on our Minnesota list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,780 records)
Bloom time in the 8 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
WashingtonNativeMay–August2,933
OregonNativeApril–June2,531
MinnesotaNativeMay–July2,228
MichiganNativeMay–August1,677
IdahoNativeMay–July990
MontanaNativefew records (45)986
South DakotaNativefew records (28)180
North DakotaNativefew records (12)136

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Washington
No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Washington.
Oregon
Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. OAR 603-073-0070
Minnesota
Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. Minn. R. 6134.0300
Michigan
Not listed Not on Michigan endangered and threatened plants (Mich. Admin. Code R 299.1028, eff. March 20, 2023). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Michigan. R 299.1028
Idaho
No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Idaho.
Montana
No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
South Dakota
No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota
No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: VA (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records red osier dogwood in 37 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Washington counties with USDA records: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima.

Oregon counties with USDA records: Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler, Yamhill.

Minnesota counties with USDA records: Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Rice, Roseau, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native; St. Pierre and Miquelon: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 911 counties across 34 states; the most are in Michigan (79), Minnesota (76), Wisconsin (68).

Other Cornus on Bloomipedia (9): Flowering dogwood, Canadian bunchberry, Roughleaf dogwood, Alternate-leaved dogwood, Western bunchberry, Silky dogwood, Cornelian cherry, Kousa dogwood, Swedish cornel.

More Washington flowers

Western bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis)

Western bunchberry

Cornus unalaschkensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in WA: May–July
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)

Cornelian cherry

Cornus mas

🌷 Flowering tree

🌷 Grown in Washington gardens
Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)

Kousa dogwood

Cornus kousa

🌷 Flowering tree

🌷 Grown in Washington gardens

Sources