Flower profile
Silky dogwood
Cornus amomum
Silky dogwood is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Delaware
Quick look
Cornus amomum, the silky dogwood, is a species of dogwood native to southern Ontario and the eastern United States, from Michigan and Vermont south to Alabama and Florida. Other names include red willow, silky cornel, kinnikinnick, and squawbush.
- It belongs to the Cornaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 27 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Delaware. NatureServe
- USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early spring. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 10 ft. USDA PLANTS
- iNaturalist has 135 research-grade sightings of it in Delaware, ranking #100 among the 110 flowers on our Delaware list. iNaturalist
Silky dogwood gift ideas
Handmade silky 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.
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Silky dogwood art print
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Silky dogwood greeting card
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Silky dogwood mug
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Silky dogwood earrings
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Silky dogwood embroidery pattern
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Silky dogwood sticker
When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of Delaware flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
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
- Delaware
- Not listed Not on Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list). NatureServe: S5, secure in Delaware. DE rare plants 2024
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IN (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?
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
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 silky dogwood in 27 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.
Delaware counties with USDA records: New Castle.
More Delaware flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile COAM2.
- iNaturalist, Cornus amomum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Cornus amomum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Delaware: Rare and Uncommon Plants of Delaware (DNREC, 2024; informational, Delaware has no state plant-protection list).
- Delaware: Delaware Invasive Plant List (3 Del. Admin. Code § 806-3.0).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Cornus amomum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Juan C. Espinosa via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.