Linnaeus Day - Cornus Nuttalli

I am joining Chris, author of From the Soil in celebrating Linnaeus Day. Each month we will feature a plant from our garden and talk about its history. I have chosen the Pacific Dogwood. I have two different kinds of Cornus or Dogwood in my yard and now I am looking for the species,Cornus nuttali. I picked this plant as the Dogwood has been British Columbia's emblem since 1956. They were a protected species until 2002.
During World War II, dogwood lapel pins were sold to earn money to buy wool and other comforts for British Colombian soldiers.

The native Cornus nutalli is an understory shrub commonly found growing in the heavy shade of tall evergreens. This shrub tolerates heavy shade and is still able to produce beautiful greenish white flowers in late spring. It can flower in low light levels as it only uses one third of full sunlight for photosynthesis. I found this fact amazing. The Dogwood is also found in areas of moist soil such as along river and stream banks.

 Looking back on the history of the Dogwood, I read that First Nations people used the dogwood bark in medicine. It was thought that if the bark was boiled it would help with stomach disorders and it was also used as a cure for malaria. The wood from this shrub was commonly used to make implements, knitting needles,furniture and baskets. I love the Dogwood in my garden.It has lovely white flowers in late spring and then red berries in the fall.

 I wondered how the Dogwood got its name and found this wonderful page at Dave's Garden. Such wonderful stories that I imagine have been passed down over generations. I love the story about how it was thought that a tiny race of people lived in the forest and looked after the Dogwoods. Being a fairy fan, I will go with this story. It has been said these little people were called the Dogwood people.They taught people how to live in harmony with the land and to do good to others.

This is Cornus kousa in my garden.I love the blooms on this shrub. It is the perfect choice for the small garden as it has topped out at about fifteen feet in height.

It is definitely a show stopper in the garden when it blooms.