Bunchberry

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Also known as: crackerberry, dwarf cornel

Bloom time: May – June

Additional photos:

• Cornus canadensis just before first bloom
  credit: Parks Canada
• Cornus canadensis first bloom
  credit: Rowena Hopkins
• Cornus canadensis mid bloom
  credit: Elisabeth Beaubien
• Cornus canadensis berries
  credit: Parks Canada

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

Leaves & Twigs: Plants arise from thread-like, creeping roots from which unbranched stems sprout.

Flowers & Fruits:

• Each plant has a single cluster with four showy white bracts that look like petals, 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.

PlantWatch Pointers: 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.

Distribution Map:

This species is monitored in:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Tiny insects can trigger an explosive opening of mature bunchberry flowers, and are showered with pollen as they fly away.