Herb: Giant Dogwood


Latin name: Cornus controversa


Synonyms: Cornus brachypoda


Family: Cornaceae (Dogwood Family)



Medicinal use of Giant Dogwood:

The leaves are used in folk remedies to relieve pain and reduce swelling.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
15 m
(49 feet)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Woodland, hedges and thickets, 600 - 2000 metres in W. China. Broad-leaved or mixed broad-leaved and needle-leaved forests at elevations of 200 - 2600 metres.

Edible parts of Giant Dogwood:

Fruit. No more details are given. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter.

Other uses of the herb:

The fruit provides an oil used in the lubricating and soap industry.

Propagation of Giant Dogwood:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame or in an outdoors seedbed if there is sufficient seed. The seed must be separated from the fruit flesh since this contains germination inhibitors. Stored seed should be cold stratified for 3 - 4 months and sown as early as possible in the year. Scarification may also help as may a period of warm stratification before the cold stratification. Germination, especially of stored seed, can be very slow, taking 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings of cold-frame sown seeds into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the plants on for their first winter in a greenhouse, planting out in the spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe side shoots, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, taken with a heel if possible, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage. Layering of new growth in June/July. Takes 9 months.

Cultivation of the herb:

Woodland, hedges and thickets, 600 - 2000 metres in W. China. Broad-leaved or mixed broad-leaved and needle-leaved forests at elevations of 200 - 2600 metres.

Known hazards of Cornus controversa:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.