Cornus (nuttallii)

Lee Riley Horticulturist USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center 34963 Shoreview Road Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424 541-915-7324 541-767-5709 (fax) leriley@fs.fed.us

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Family Scientific Name:	Cornaceae
Family Common Name:	Dogwood
Scientific Name:	Cornus nuttallii
Common Synonym:	Benthamidia nuttallii
Common Name:	Pacific Dogwood, Mountain dogwood, Canadian Dogwood
Species Code:	CONU4
Ecotype:	Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
General Distribution:	Grows in full sun to part shade in average-deep, medium moisture, well-drained soils but prefers moist, rich, acidic soils in part shade. Soil texture can range from clay to sand loam. Mature plants have some drought tolerance. It has low frost tolerance but high flood tolerance. Found in western North America (BC, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California). It is in the coastal regions west of the cascade mountains. Then there is a disjunct population in northern Idaho along the lower Lochsa and Selway rivers.
Propagation Goal:	Plants
Propagation Method:	Seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	262 ml (16 in3) container
Time To Grow:	20 weeks
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling Root System: Firm plug in container.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Two treatments yield similar germination results. 1) Seeds are placed into a 1% hydrogen peroxide (3:1 water/3% hydrogen peroxide) soak for 24 hours, rinsed, and placed in water for an additional 24 hours. Seeds are placed in fine mesh bags and layered in peat in a covered container. The containers are then placed in refrigeration at 1 to 3 °C for 100 days. 2) Seeds are placed into fine mesh bags and soaked in a 1% hydrogen peroxide (3:1 water/3% hydrogen peroxide) 24 hours, rinsed, and placed in water for an additional 48 hours. Seeds are placed in a sealed container and into warm stratification (10 °C) for 10 days. Following warm stratification, seeds are placed into cold stratification (1 to 3 °C) for an additional 90 days. It is very important to check seeds in warm strat and peat weekly. If mold is evident, seeds should be treated with 1% hydrogen peroxide.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse growing facility. Seeds are directly sown into containers. Seeds are lightly covered with nursery grit. Growing medium used is 40:20:20:20 peat:composted fir bark:perlite:pumice with Nutricote controlled release fertilizer (18N:6P2O5:8K2O with minors; 180-d release rate at 21C) at the rate of 1.5 gram Nutricote per 262 ml container. Seedlings remain in the greenhouse for 18 weeks, and are then moved to an outdoor growing area to induce dormancy. Average growing season of nursery is from mid-March until early October.
Establishment Phase:	Germination can be slow, and is sometimes low depending on seed quality. It is usually complete in 3 to 4 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	3 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings grow slowly early in the active growth phase. When secondary leaves have formed (approximately 3 weeks following germination), soluble fertilizer is applied. During the growing season, fertilization depends on weather. Soluble 20-9-20 NPK, 20-18-18 NPK, or 17-5-24 NPK at a range of 100 to 150 ppm is applied weekly throughout the growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	16 weeks
Hardening Phase:	No dry-down is done to induce dormancy. Seedlings are moved to an outdoor growing area in early-September.
Length of Hardening Phase:	3 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Mid October Storage Conditions: Seedlings are usually outplanted in fall to early winter. No storage except in outdoor growing area. Plants are well irrigated prior to shipping and shipped in containers.
Outplanting performance on typical sites:
Other Comments:	USDA hardiness zones 7 to 9 Wetland classification: FACU Perennial, deciduous When stressed, it is susceptible to a range of diseases, most notably dogwood anthracnose. Can sprout from root crown following fire. New sprouts are grazed relatively heavily by large ungulates.
References:	Bonner FT, Karrfalt RB, Nisley RG, editors. 2008. The woody plant seed manual. Washington (DC): USDA Forest Service. Agriculture Handbook 727. 1223 p. Dorena Genetic Resource Center Propagation Records, unpublished. Gucker CL. 2005. Cornus nuttallii. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. Missoula (MT): USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. URL: https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/cornut/all.html (accessed 13 Jan 2020). [ITIS] Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Cornus nuttallii. URL: https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=27809#null Missouri Botanical Garden. Cornus nuttallii. URL: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279341&isprofile=0& (accessed 13 Jan 2020). USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Cornus nuttallii Audubon ex Torr. & A. Gray Pacific dogwood. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol= CONU4 (accessed 13 Jan 2020).

Citation:

Riley, Lee E.; Kamakura, Renata. 2020. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Cornus nuttallii Plants 262 ml (16 in3) container; USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center Cottage Grove, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/16). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.