Cornus unalaschkensis (syn: Cornus canadensis)
Bunchberry

Family: Cornaceae (Dogwood family)

Photo taken at Mill Creek near Stevens Pass, shaded moist forest

Flowers:

inflorescence in a terminal, solitary head, 2 to 4 cm wide; 4 to 7 petal-like bracts, whitish; petals 1.5 mm, yellowish or purplish

Fruit:

6 to 8 mm spheric red drupe

Leaves:

4 to 6 whorled leaves below the inflorescence; blades 2 to 8 cm, elliptic to obovate

Plant:

0.5 to 2 dm tall; perennial. Berries eaten fresh in the West Cascades by the Haisla and Hanaksiala, Makah, Southern Kwakiutl, Nitinaht, and Salish.

Habitat:

moist forests, bogs

Distribution of species:

Alaska to California, east to eastern North America and Greenland, and in northeast Asia

Distribution of genus:

more or less 50 species: northern temperate regions, rare in the Southern Hemisphere