Flower profile

Roughleaf dogwood

Cornus drummondii

Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii) is a shrub or small tree in the Cornaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Roughleaf dogwood is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

21states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

19,363U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Cornus drummondii, commonly known as the roughleaf dogwood, is a small deciduous tree that is native primarily to the Great Plains and Midwestern regions of the United States. It is also found around the Mississippi River. It is uncommon in the wild, and is mostly found around forest borders.
From Wikipedia's article Cornus drummondii, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 21 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana and Nebraska. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
In Oklahoma, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 20 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 13,772 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #35 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,100 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #17 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 904 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #15 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,269 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	April–May	13,772
Oklahoma	Native	May	1,100
Kansas	Native	May–June	904
Louisiana	Native	few records (31)	439
Nebraska	Native	few records (24)	319

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
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Nebraska: Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. ^{163 NAC 4-004}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S1), MN (S1), NY (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 roughleaf dogwood in 21 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Cass, Chambers, Clay, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Dallas, DeWitt, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Galveston, Gillespie, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Harris, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kerr, Leon, Liberty, Llano, Mason, Matagorda, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina, Menard, Milam, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Red River, Robertson, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Saba, Tarrant, Travis, Trinity, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wise.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Atoka, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Craig, Creek, Custer, Dewey, Garfield, Grady, Greer, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tulsa, Washington, Washita, Woods.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Graham, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Stafford, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Roughleaf dogwood a medium shade tolerance, low drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 4.5 to 7.5 and winter lows down to -28 °F.

Shade tolerance: Medium
Drought tolerance: Low
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: medium, fine
Soil pH range: 4.5 to 7.5
Minimum temperature tolerated: -28 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 110
Annual precipitation range: 32 to 55 inches
Minimum root depth: 20 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Rapid
Lifespan: Long
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: White · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, cuttings, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for CODR. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Cornus priceae, Swida priceae.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 800 counties across 20 states; the most are in Missouri (110), Illinois (78), Kansas (77).

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

More Texas flowers

Pinkladies

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Firewheel

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★ OK state wildflowerNative

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Silverleaf nightshade

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🌼 Blooms in TX: April–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CODR.
iNaturalist, Cornus drummondii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cornus drummondii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cornus drummondii (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Philip Vanbergen via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.