The native gray dogwood can be found in the wild in most counties in Illinois. It is a large multi-stemmed shrub with a tendency to spread and colonize. The bark of older stems is gray (hence its common name) though newer stems are reddish brown. Small white flowers in late spring are followed by whitish blue fruit in summer. The pinkish pedicels remaining after the fruit has fallen or been devoured by birds provide a showy display into winter.

Members of the genus Cornus, commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species.

Dogwoods are native to cooler temperate areas of North America and Asia. The genus includes 45-60 species, divided into subgenera about which taxonomists disagree. The Chicago Botanic Garden's collection includes almost 100 varieties of dogwood from 20 species (7 of which are native) and over 2,400 plants.