Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
Equally charming in flower and fruit, Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a wonderful native ground cover plant that can turn your outdoor space into an aesthetic and ecological paradise.
Bunchberry is characterized by its lush green foliage, creamy white flowers, and bright red berries. A hardy, adaptive, and low maintenance plant, brunch berry thrives in a variety of soil types including anything from hard clay soils to light sandy soils. As a semi evergreen plant, bunch berry is also incredibly weather tolerant, making it a tasteful and lasting addition to your outdoor space that can be enjoyed year-round.
This plant has a multitude of usages ranging from landscaping to culinary endeavors. A durable ground cover plant, Bunchberry is an attractive and ecologically compatible replacement for the pesky invasive English ivy plant that may be taking over your outdoor space. Additionally, Bunchberry can be a helpful aid in decaying any rotting bark or wood into the soil. In the kitchen, Bunchberry’s edible fruit, high in pectin, a naturally occurring thickener, can be used to help jams, jellies, and fruit preserves set.
With a multitude of potential uses, Bunchberry is the perfect plant to take home from this year’s native plant sale.
Chloe Steffes, 2023-2024 AmeriCorps Education Specialist
Sources:
U.S. Forest Service
The Seattle Times
Bon Appetit
Eat the Planet
Featured Photo Credit: By Neelix at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Quadell using CommonsHelper., Public Domain