CORNUS

Genus of about 60 species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees from grasslands, thickets, woodland, rocky slopes and swamps mainly in northern temperate areas.

Grown for their showy bracts, elegant habit, fruits and colourful autumn leaves.

The species have been used as food and medicine and in manufacture of small implements and cutting boards. The wood is beautiful, fine-grained and hard.

The  "dogwood' name might have come from the "dags" (daggers, skewers and arrows) made from the slender stems. Fruits were known as "dogberries".

Two species are represented in the UK. C. mas is a widely found introduction, C sanguinea, a native, extending particularly on chalk as far north as the Midlands.