Swida amomum (Mill.) Small
Cornus amomum Mill.
Silky dogwood
Silky dogwood is native to eastern North America.
Plants: These deciduous shrubs are 6–12′ (1.8–3.7 m) tall, and about the same around. They are heavily branched.
Leaves: Opposite, simple (unlobed), on petioles ⅛–½″ (5–15 mm) long. Leaves are 1½–3½ ⨉ ⅜–1½″ (4–9 ⨉ 1–4 cm), and lanceolate to ovate, tapering to blunt or sharp tips. Leaf surfaces have appressed hairs.
Flowers: Flat to rounded clusters of creamy white flowers. Each flower is ¼″ (8.3 mm) in size, with four narrowly triangular petals and four stamens. Flower stalks have silken hairs. Flowers appear from May to June.
Fruits: Attractive clusters of drupes, white at first, become silvery blue.
Habitats: Moist lowland areas, swamp borders, floodplains, shrub wetlands, and along streams and ponds.
Online References:
Cornus amomum Mill. ssp. amomum
Swida amomum (Mill.) Small
Swida amomum (Mill.) Small
6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 14 cm) 
7/7/2025 · Woodward Point Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 16 × 12″ (41 × 30 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.6 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
7/26/2025 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (21 × 14 cm) 
10/25/2024 · River Point Conservation Area, Falmouth, Maine 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
6/24/2015 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Ctr, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 6″ (16 × 14 cm) 
7/7/2025 · Woodward Point Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 17 × 12″ (43 × 30 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Cornales | Includes dogwoods, hydrangeas, stickleafs, tupelos, even sillyberries |
| Family | Cornaceae | Dogwood family |
| Genus | Cornus | Latin for “a horn” |
| Species | amomum | Latin, from Greek amōmon, “aromatic shrub,” Oddly, though, this shrub is not aromatic. |
Cornus amomum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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