Bloomipedia
Roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii)
Photo: Philip Vanbergen via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized

Flower profile

Roughleaf dogwood

Cornus drummondii

Native in the lower 48

Roughleaf dogwood is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

21states
5of our state lists
19,363U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Cornus drummondii, commonly known as the roughleaf dogwood, is a small deciduous tree that is native primarily to the Great Plains and Midwestern regions of the United States. It is also found around the Mississippi River. It is uncommon in the wild, and is mostly found around forest borders.

  • It belongs to the Cornaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 21 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana and Nebraska. NatureServe
  • In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
  • In Oklahoma, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 20 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 13,772 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #34 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,100 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #17 among the 110 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 904 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #15 among the 109 flowers on our Kansas list. iNaturalist

Roughleaf dogwood gift ideas

Handmade roughleaf dogwood gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood art print

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood greeting card

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood mug

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood earrings

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood embroidery pattern

    Gift pick coming soon

  • Placeholder

    Roughleaf dogwood sticker

    Gift pick coming soon

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,269 records)
Bloom time in each of our 5 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
TexasNativeApril–May13,772
OklahomaNativeApril–May1,100
KansasNativeMay–June904
LouisianaNativeApril–May439
NebraskaNativeMay–June319

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Texas
Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
Oklahoma
No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Kansas
No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
Louisiana
No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: GA (S1), MN (S1), NY (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records roughleaf dogwood in 21 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Cass, Chambers, Clay, Collin, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Dallas, DeWitt, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Galveston, Gillespie, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Harris, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kerr, Leon, Liberty, Llano, Mason, Matagorda, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina, Menard, Milam, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Red River, Robertson, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Saba, Tarrant, Travis, Trinity, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wise.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Adair, Alfalfa, Atoka, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Craig, Creek, Custer, Dewey, Garfield, Grady, Greer, Johnston, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tulsa, Washington, Washita, Woods.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Graham, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Stafford, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.

More Texas flowers

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida

★ NC state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: March–May
Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–May
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: March–July

Sources