This streamside, multi-stemmed shrub reaches 12 feet tall, has red to purple branches, broad, opposite leaves, and dense, flat-topped to rounded clusters of small white flowers followed by white, berry-like drupes. It forms thickets in moist soils, and with its red stems, is popular for winter color in landscape settings. 

FLOWER: May–August. Clusters 1–3 inches across (25–75 mm) packed with small, white to cream flowers with 4 tiny, spreading, pointed petals, each 1/8 inch long (3 mm). Fruit is a white drupe 3/8 diameter (7–9 mm) with 2 seeds.

LEAVES: Opposite, stalked; blades lance-shaped to elliptic or oval, 2–4 inches long (5–10 cm); edges entire, top surface green, smooth, with 5–7 prominent lateral veins, bottom whitish, sparsely hairy, tip pointed.

HABITAT: Stream banks, moist areas, partial shade in woodland understory.

ELEVATION: 5,000–10,500 feet (1515–3030 m).

RANGE: Widespread, common in all western states, northern tier of states to Maine; Canada.

SIMILAR SPECIES: This is the only shrubby dogwood in NM. Also called C. stolonifera

(Flora Neomexicana III) and C. alba in various sources.

NM COUNTIES: Mid- to high-elevation mountains of NM: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Colfax, Grant, Lincoln, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos.