On this page
Introduction
Slavin dogwood (Cornus × slavinii) is the natural hybrid between roundleaf dogwood (C. rugosa) and red-osier dogwood (C. sericea). Rehder named the hybrid in 1910 after material associated with Rochester, New York, and subsequent floristic work has documented putative or confirmed intermediates elsewhere in the northeastern and north-central part of the parental contact zone (Rehder 1910; Murrell & Poindexter 2016; Deasy et al. 2026).
Plants are typically intermediate in habit and foliage and may bear pale blue to blue-white fruit. The name needs particular care in horticultural writing because C. × slavinii is unrelated nomenclaturally to the gray-dogwood cultivar sometimes sold as C. racemosa ‘Slavinii’ or ‘Slavin’s Dwarf’.
Horticultural and Agricultural Uses
The hybrid can be an attractive upright shrub, but it is much less familiar in gardens than either parent. In collections, its main value lies in illustrating natural introgression between two widespread North American dogwoods. Plants collected from the wild should be accompanied by locality data and, ideally, nearby parental vouchers.
Cultivated clones may be propagated vegetatively. Seedlings, however, can segregate toward either parent and should not be treated as uniform copies of the hybrid.
Conservation Concerns
Cornus × slavinii does not require a separate global threat category. Its evolutionary significance is tied to intact contact zones between C. rugosa and C. sericea. Habitat conversion that removes one parent can also remove the opportunity for the hybrid to recur naturally.
Additional Information
-
Trees and Shrubs Online (opens in a new tab) - Detailed hybrid account and horticultural-name warning.
-
Plants of the World Online (opens in a new tab) - Accepted hybrid and parent formula.
-
Flora of North America (opens in a new tab) - Regional context for parent species and reported hybrids.
References and Further Reading
Rehder A (1910) A new hybrid Cornus (Cornus rugosa × stolonifera). Rhodora 12: 122.
Deasy M, Crowley D, Aldridge J, Chişu R (2026) Cornus × slavinii. Trees and Shrubs Online. https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/cornus/cornus-x-slavinii/ (opens in a new tab)
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2026) Cornus × slavinii. Plants of the World Online. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:271671-1 (opens in a new tab)
Murrell ZE, Poindexter DB (2016) Cornaceae. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds) Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 12. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford. https://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1 (opens in a new tab)