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Cornaceae
Bunchberry
Cornus canadensis
Hidden speed and quiet brilliance.
- Family
- Cornaceae
- Genus
- Cornus
- Native to
- northern North America, northeast Asia
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- rhizomatous subshrub
- Height
- 10–20 cm
- Sunlight
- part to full shade
- Soil
- acidic, cool, humus-rich
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- 2–7
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial
Did you know
- The 'flowers' are actually tiny clusters surrounded by four showy white bracts — same trick as the dogwood tree.
- When triggered, its stamens fire pollen at over 22,000 m/s² — among the fastest plant movements ever measured.
- It is essentially a miniature dogwood tree that learned to creep along boreal forest floors.
- The bright red 'bunch' of berries that follows is edible but mealy and nearly tasteless.
- It carpets vast areas of Canadian and Alaskan spruce forests, often growing alongside reindeer moss.
Color meanings
White
purity of the boreal forest floor