Known as dogwoods, the genus Cornus contains 51 accepted species of woody plants. Dogwoods are distributed along the three continents of the northern hemisphere with one species, Cornus peruviana, appearing below the equator. Cornus species have a high content of tannic acids; the wood is hard, close-grained, and resistant to insect and fungal infestations. The range for the Pacific dogwood, Cornus nuttallii, begins on Vancouver Island and along the Fraser River of British Columbia. It extends through Washington, Oregon and into the coastal mountains of California. The pagoda dogwood, Cornus alternifolia, is found from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia westwards along the St. Lawrence River Valley to Minnesota and along the Allegheny Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau of Northern Georgia. It prefers fertile woodlands or areas along streams and swamps.
