Cornaceae - dogwood family

Mount Desert Island is home to 3 species in 2 genera. Click on a link below or scroll down for more information.
   Chamaepericlymenum (1 species)
      Chamaepericlymenum canadense - Canada dwarf-dogwood (common [see note 1 at bottom of page])
   Swida (2 species)
      Swida alternifolia - alternate-leaved dogwood (occasional)
      Swida rugosa - round-leaved dogwood (uncommon)

	plant
Chamaepericlymenum	low herb
Swida	shrub/tree

Chamaepericlymenum (dwarf-dogwood)
[information to be added]

Chamaepericlymenum canadense (Canada dwarf-dogwood) - [information to be added]

(click on image to enlarge)

Swida (dogwood)
Mount Desert Island's two species of dogwoods can be distinguished from each other by the arrangement of their leaves. The leaves of Swida alternifolia, as the specific epithet alternifolia indicates, alternate on the stem, and the leaves of S. rugosa are opposite.

	twig color	leaf arrangement
Swida alternifolia	green	alternate
Swida rugosa	yellow-green, often speckled with red or purple	opposite

Swida alternifolia (alternate-leaved dogwood) - The branching pattern of this species is alternate [see image below], the same as the arrangement of its leaves.

(click on image to enlarge)

Swida rugosa (round-leaved dogwood) leaves are nearly round in outline. The twig is greenish with reddish blotches

(click on image to enlarge)

Note:
   1. Frequency designations are from the paper “Vascular flora of the Acadia National Park region, Maine” by Craig W. Greene, Linda L. Gregory, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Sally C. Rooney, and Jill E. Weber, published in the spring 2005 issue (vol. 107, No. 930) of Rhodora: Journal of the New England Botanical Club.