Flora of New Zealand Series

strawberry dogwood

Small, evergreen tree up to 6-(12) m high. Stems densely clothed in fine appressed hairs when young, becoming glabrous. Lvs densely clothed in fine appressed hairs above and below, glaucous below, elliptic, entire, acuminate, attenuate at base and usually shortly petiolate, (3)-4-10-(12) cm long. Fls numerous, in capitula; bracts subtending head usually 4, with appressed hairs, elliptic to obovate, acuminate, pale yellow, deciduous, 20-35 mm long; calyx shallowly 4-lobed, densely hairy; petals greenish cream, 2-4 mm long. Fr. suborbicular, red, 2-4 cm diam.

N.: scattered localities in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, near Rotorua, and Wellington Province; S.: Nelson City, Banks Peninsula.

Himalayas to W. China 1922

Waste places, gardens, scrubland and forest.

Strawberry dogwood is cultivated as an ornamental in the North and South Is and has probably become naturalised by spread of bird-dispersed frs from garden plants. It is usually known in N.Z. as Cornus capitata, and often by the common name Himalayan dogwood. It was first recorded as Benthamia fragifera.