Native Americans discovered medicinal uses for teas made from parts of this large shrub. The bark, leaves and fruit were all found useful in treating various teeth ailments. Early pioneers made great use of it’s hard wood fashioning it into small mallets, pulleys, spindles and shuttles used in hand weaving. When hand looms were mechanized in the 1800’s, the wood was perfectly suitable for the wear and tear of the machines and was shipped to manufacturing locations in New England and Europe.¹

The rough-leaved dogwood is true to it’s name. The topside of its dark green leaves have a sandpaper feel while the underside is wooly. This dogwood can withstand cold and drought. Its springtime flowers offer creamy white, flat topped clusters and in the fall it is easily recognized by it’s burgundy red leaves and hard white berries. The leaves of this thicket-forming species emit a faint odor of sour milk. Usually it is found in woodland and rocky areas along streams and ponds. It is often growing in dense thickets and appears in open prairies.

This large shrub offers a cover and nesting area for over over 40 species of birds. The leaves are chewed by deer, and the fruit is enjoyed by squirrels, chipmunks, mice and even bears.²

The scientific name of the rough-leaved dogwood is Cornus Drummondi. Cornus means horn, referring to the hard wood, and Drummondi honors a Scottish botanist who spent two years in the late 1790’s studying birds and trees in southern Texas.^{3 4}.