PlantWatch

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Photo by Elisabeth Beaubien

Also known as: crackerberry, dwarf cornel
French name: quatre-temps
Bloom time: May to June
Report for: YK, NT, BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PEI, NF

General: Low, erect woodland plant, about 10 cm tall, that grows in colonies.

Leaves & Twigs: Smooth-edged, oval leaves with parallel veins. Four to six leaves form a ring around the stem.

Flowers & Fruit: Each plant has a single cluster with four showy white bracts that look like petals. In the centre are the true flowers, which are tiny and either green, purple, or cream-coloured. The fruits are red berries that appear later in the summer.

Habitat: A forest plant, bunchberry tolerates a variety of soil and site conditions.

Sampling: Select a typical patch of plants, if the plants are very abundant, mark off a 1-metre-square section to observe.

To Observe:

• When flowers open, black central dots are visible (these are the stigmas).
• First bloom when the first flowers are open in the observed plants.
• Mid bloom when 50% of the flowers are open in the observed plants.