Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a low-growing perennial in the dogwood family.
- Bunchberry grows from spreading rhizomes to form a woody base.
- Erect bare stems have greenish leaves in opposite positions on the stem and a cluster of 6 (oval to diamond shaped) leaves at the top.
- Flowers emerge above the leaves with 4 whitish bracts. Petals are found in the center and can be a shade of white, green, or purple.
- The bracts are greenish when they first emerge.
- Buncherry has an “explosive” pollination mechanism, triggered by pollinators (mostly bees and flies).
- All photos by the author. Click an image for a lightbox view and caption.
- Green, turning to red drupes (stone fruit) form after flowering.
- The berries are eaten and dispersed by birds, deer, and forest mammals.
- Bunchberry often forms mats and clonal colonies on the forest floor, mostly in damp areas.
- Bunchberry can be propagated by seed or from cuttings.
- It is an attractive plant we stop to photograph when we hike forested areas in the summer and early fall.
