Cornaceae: Cornus canadensis L.
(bunchberry, crackerberry, dwarf cornel )
Bunchberry is a low growing herb with greenish-white, four-petaled flowers surrounded by four white petal-like
bracts. Leaves may be
ovate with lateral veins in pairs of two or three coming off the midvein There are usually six leaves in a single
whorl below the flower as well as one or two pairs of leaf scales lower down on the stem. The plants bloom in June
and tend to grow in colonies, spreading from an underground rhizome and covering large areas in woodlands and
scattered through bogs. Many sources say it is a woodland pioneer. The fruit is a red
drupe, a
much prized food source for birds, mice and chipmunks. This species is wide ranging across North America.
Sources | Selected Web Resources | Line Drawing
Click on images for larger versions.
| June 1, 2005. Lunenburg County: Indian Path Common. Photographer: Ocotillo. | |
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| June 10, 2006. Lunenburg County: Indian Path Common. Photographer: Keith Vaughan. | |
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| August 22, 2007. Cumberland County: Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. Photographer: Ocotillo. | |
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Selected Web Resources
- Taxonomic Status (ITIS) Copy the species name above and paste it into a form on this ITIS Canada page to confirm the nomenclature and list synonyms.
- NatureServe Explorer Copy the species name above and paste it into a form on this page to view a map of its distribution within North America and its conservation status by province and state.
- Fire Effects Information System Referenced overview of botanical and ecological characteristics, fire ecology, managment.
Page posted 7 Oct. 2007. Modified 3 Dec. 2008.
Copyright © Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society & Photographers