Several other dogwoods, most of them rarely if ever attaining the
stature of small trees, occur in Illinois.
Gray Dogwood (_Cornus racemosa_ Lam.). This plant rarely exceeds a
height of 10 feet. It is distinguished by its slender gray twigs, its
small white flowers borne in clusters about as broad as high, and its
white berries about ¼ inch in diameter. The Racemose Dogwood occurs in a
variety of habitats, including prairies and woods.
Stiff Dogwood (_Cornus foemina_ Mill.). This small dogwood has brownish
twigs with white pith and bluish fruits. Its leaves usually are smooth
on both surfaces. It occurs in low, wet woods.
Round-leaved Dogwood (_Cornus rugosa_ Lam.). As the name implies, this
shrubby dogwood has roundish leaves which are woolly on the lower
surface. The greenish twigs have white pith. The berries are pale blue.
The Round-leaved Dogwood grows in dry, rocky woods.
Red Osier (_Cornus stolonifera_ Michx.). Red Osier has dark red twigs
with white pith. The leaves are pale and somewhat hairy on the lower
surface. The berries are white or grayish. Red Osier usually grows along
shores, often forming thickets.
Silky Dogwood (_Cornus obliqua_ Raf.). This plant is usually a shrub,
but may get as much as 15 feet tall. It has twigs with pale brown pith.
The leaves are pale on the lower surface, and usually have white,
appressed hairs. The berries are blue. Silky Dogwood grows in low
ground.
Willow Dogwood (_Cornus amomum_ Mill.). The Willow Dogwood rarely
exceeds a height of 10 feet. Like the Silky Dogwood, it has twigs with
pale brown pith. The leaves usually have reddish-colored hairs on the
lower surface. The berries are pale blue. Willow Dogwood grows in low
ground.
[Illustration: Gray Dogwood]
COCK-SPUR THORN
_Crataegus crus-galli_ L.
Growth Form: Small tree to 20 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches;
crown broadly rounded.
Bark: Dark brown, scaly.
Twigs: Moderately stout, light brown, smooth, usually with sharp spines
up to 4 inches long; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped,
slightly elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ¼ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, usually smooth.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades broadest above the middle, rounded or
short-pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, up to 4 inches
long, up to 1½ inches broad, leathery, toothed along the edges, at
least in the upper half of the leaf, dark green, smooth, shiny on
the upper surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface;
leafstalks stout, up to 1 inch long, smooth.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in May and June, each up
to ¾ inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to ½ inch in diameter, red, fleshy but
dry, with 1-2 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Use: Sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Habitat: Wooded slopes, thickets.
Range: Southern Ontario across to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to
South Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: Cock-spur Thorn differs from most other
hawthorns in Illinois by its leathery, shiny leaves which are
broadest above the middle.
[Illustration: COCK-SPUR THORN]
RED HAW
_Crataegus mollis_ (Torr. & Gray) Scheele
Growth Form: Small tree to 25 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 14 inches;
crown widely spreading.
Bark: Gray-brown, scaly, deeply furrowed.
Twigs: Moderately stout, gray or brown, smooth or slightly hairy, rarely
with spines; leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly
elevated, with 3 bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ¼ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, usually hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades ovate, broadest near the base,
short-pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 4 inches long
and nearly as broad, coarsely toothed along the edges,
occasionally with shallow lobes, yellow-green and hairy on the
upper surface, paler and hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks
stout, up to 1 inch long, hairy.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in April and May, each
up to 1 inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to 1 inch in diameter, red, fleshy but
dry, with 4-5 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Habitat: Moist woods.
Range: Southern Ontario across to Minnesota, south to Oklahoma, east to
Alabama.
Distinguishing Features: The Red Haw is distinguished by its densely
hairy, ovate leaves which are often shallowly lobed.
[Illustration: RED HAW]
PRUINOSE HAW
_Crataegus pruinosa_ (Wendl.) K. Koch
Growth Form: Small tree to 15 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches;
crown broad and irregular.
Bark: Dark gray, scaly, furrowed.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, smooth, with spines up to 2 inches long;
leaf scars alternate, crescent-shaped, slightly elevated, with 3
bundle traces.
Buds: Rounded, up to ⅛ inch in diameter, reddish-brown, smooth or nearly
so.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades mostly ovate, broadest below the
middle, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, up to 3 inches
long and about ⅔ as broad, coarsely toothed along the edges and
frequently shallowly lobed, bluish-green and smooth on the upper
surface, paler and smooth on the lower surface; leafstalks stout,
up to 1 inch long, smooth or somewhat hairy.
Flowers: Showy, several in a cluster, appearing in May and early June,
each up to 1 inch across, with 5 white petals.
Fruit: Spherical or nearly so, up to ¾ inch in diameter, dark red to
purple, fleshy but dry, with 5 nutlets.
Wood: Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown.
Habitat: Woods and thickets.
Range: Newfoundland to southern Ontario, south to Arkansas, east to
North Carolina.
Distinguishing Features: The Pruinose Haw is distinguished by its
bluish-green leaves which are widest just below the middle.
[Illustration: PRUINOSE HAW]