Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

$8.00
Out of Stock

Bunchberry, aka Creeping Dogwood, is an excellent shady ground cover with unique leaves, bright white flowers, and berries. It is the host to three specialist bees and possibly 4 moths in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023). From what I understand, the berries are edible, but bitter, best left for the birds and small mammals. Apparently, the flowers have an appendage that, when touched by insects, releases the pollen in an explosive blast (Johnson and Colla, 2023).

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

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Bunchberry, aka Creeping Dogwood, is an excellent shady ground cover with unique leaves, bright white flowers, and berries. It is the host to three specialist bees and possibly 4 moths in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023). From what I understand, the berries are edible, but bitter, best left for the birds and small mammals. Apparently, the flowers have an appendage that, when touched by insects, releases the pollen in an explosive blast (Johnson and Colla, 2023).

Photo credit: Joshua Mayer

Life Cycle: Perennial 

Sun Exposure: Partial-Shade

Soil Moisture: Medium-Medium/dry

Height: 4-8 inches

Plant Spacing:  6-12 inches

Bloom Time: May-July

Bloom Color: white

Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Edible, Great Landscape Plant

Host:  Possibly 4 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Specialist Bee: Andrena fragilis, A. persimulata, and A. platyparia (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Complementary Plants: Wintergreen, Canada mayflower, Lowbush blueberry

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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