Bunchberry
Dogwood Family
Cornaceae
Latin Name: Cornus Canadensis
(Also Known As): Chamaepericlymenum canadense (J.Hill.)
Common Names: Puddingberry, Dwarf Cornel, Creeping Dogwood, Dwarf Dogwood,
Pigeonberry
Native American Names: Makah: bûbûwak!tibupt, “berries with pebbles in them”;
Quinault: olka´stap, snakeberry (2)
Related species: C. nuttalii, Pacific Flowering Dogwood; C. stolonifera, Red-Osier
Dogwood
Body System Affiliations: Respiratory System, Digestive System, Nervous System
Botanical Description: (1:292)
Habit: Perennial herb.
Size: 6-9 inches high.
Branching: Whorled.
Leaves: Roundish, oval, deep green, turning yellow in fall.
Flowers: Clusters of tiny flowers surrounded by four showy bracts that look like
ptetals.
Fruit: Clusters of small, red, shiny berries.
Underground Parts: Creeping rootstalks send up stems.
Ecology:
Habitat: Under trees near lakes, streams.
Range: Northern California to Alaska.
Native Where: Northern California to Alaska. (1:292)
Places/Dates Observed/Description: May 2003 on the floor of temperate
rainforest in Quinault, WA. June 2003 in native plants garden at Point Defiance Park in
Tacoma, WA.
Indigenous and Non-Western Use/Relationships/Significance:
Food: The Makah have eaten the berries fresh. (2:43)
Other: The Quinault have claimed the berries are poisonous. (2:43)
Western (European-American) Uses/Relationships:
Food: Fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. High in pectin, can be added to jams.
Medicine:
Part Used: Whole plant
Medicinal Actions: Analgesic, Cathartic, Febrifuge, Kidney, Ophthalmic
(plants for a future)
Indications: Fever, inflammation, pain, headaches, colitis, dysentery,
diarrhea, chronic gastritis, abdominal gas cramps, mild colitis. (4:960)
Body System Associations: Digestive, Respiratory, Nervous
Constituents: Cornine, cornic acid, quercetin, phenylethylamine, tannins,
flavenoids. (4:96)
Harvest: Dry whole plant
Storage: Dried plant good for one year.
Preparation: Standard infusion of 3-4 grams for a cup.
Applications: Drink tea up to four times daily.
Cautions: May have allergic reaction in people who respond negatively
to salicylates.
Personal Experience: An unusually cheery plant which always seems to say hi to me
when I pass. When not in flower can be easily distinguished by the leaves; the way they
are arranged and the way the leaf veins curve toward the tip. Super fun to draw.
Harvest:
Plant Part: Whole Plant (4:96)
Season of Harvest: Summer to early fall.
Method of Harvest: Dry by hanging, lying flat, or in a paper bag.
Propagation:
Technique: Sow seed as soon as it is ripe. Separate from fruit which has
germination inhibitors. (4)
Timing: Germination may be slow. Divide in spring.
Present in “Gifts of the First People” Project: Yes, with the Respiratory
System plants.
Taken at Pt. Defiance Native Plant Garden, Spring 2003. Seen with Adiantum pedatum,
Fragaria vesca, Oxalis oregana, and other friends.
References Cited:
1. Brenzel, Kathleen Norris, et al. Western Garden Book. Menlo Park, California:
Sunset Publishing Corporation, 2001.
2. Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. Seattle and London:
University of Washington Press, 1973.
3. Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle and
London: University of Washington Press, 1973.
4. Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Red Crane Books, Inc., Santa
Fe, NM: 1993.
5. Morris, Rick. Plants for a Future Database.
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/database/latinA.html [Site visited 07-22-03]
*
Erin Degenstein
Plants as Food and Medicine
Summer 2003