Cornus oblonga var. glabrescens W.P.Fang & W.K.Hu — Smooth Indian dogwood

Introduction

Smooth Indian dogwood is the glabrous-leaved variety of Cornus oblonga accepted by Tree TSAR. Flora of China distinguishes it from the nominate variety and var. griffithii by the essentially hairless lower leaf surface; leaves are usually narrowly elliptic and can be lanceolate. It is documented from southeastern Xizang and northern Yunnan in mixed forests and thickets at roughly 1500-3400 m (Xiang & Boufford 2005).

Tree TSAR retains var. glabrescens as an accepted infraspecific taxon even though POWO currently treats the name and its Swida combination as synonyms of undivided C. oblonga. The retained rank follows the coherent three-variety morphological framework of Flora of China and keeps a geographically restricted Chinese entity visible for future testing.

Horticultural and Agricultural Uses

No horticultural or agricultural use specific to var. glabrescens is well documented. Its practical significance is mainly botanical and horticultural-identification value within C. oblonga. The evergreen species as a whole favors mild, moist, well-drained conditions, but variety-specific hardiness or propagation data should not be inferred without direct evidence.

In collections, accurate identification depends heavily on mature leaf surfaces. Provenance and voucher material are therefore more informative than garden labels alone, especially because POWO does not currently recognize the variety taxonomically.

Conservation Concerns

No separate global conservation assessment was located for var. glabrescens. Its documented Chinese range is much narrower than the full range of C. oblonga, so the species-level Least Concern summary should not automatically be applied to the variety as an independent conservation conclusion.

Field documentation of population size, habitat continuity, and genetic differentiation would help test both the conservation significance and the taxonomic durability of this glabrous-leaved lineage.

Additional Information

iNaturalist - parent species concept (opens in a new tab) - iNaturalist currently provides the broader C. oblonga species page rather than a separately verified Tree TSAR variety page.
Flora of China (opens in a new tab) - Variety-level diagnosis, distribution, and habitat.
iPlant (opens in a new tab) - Chinese botanical portal reproducing the Flora of China variety treatment.
Plants of the World Online - parent species (opens in a new tab) - Kew currently treats var. glabrescens in synonymy under C. oblonga.

References and Further Reading

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2026) Cornus oblonga Wall. Plants of the World Online. Link (opens in a new tab)

Trees and Shrubs Online (2026) Cornus oblonga. Link (opens in a new tab)

Xiang Q-Y, Boufford DE (2005) Cornus oblonga var. glabrescens W.P.Fang & W.K.Hu. In: Wu ZY, Raven PH, Hong DY (eds) Flora of China 14. Science Press, Beijing and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. Link (opens in a new tab)