Cornus alternifolia

Cornus alternifolia is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to southern Manitoba and Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Mississippi. It is rare in the southern United States. It is commonly known as green osier, alternate-leaved dogwood, and pagoda dogwood. It is a small deciduous shrub or tree growing to 25 feet (8 m) (rarely 30 feet (9 m)) tall and 20 feet (6 m) to 32 feet (10 m) wide, with a trunk up to 6 inches (152 mm) in diameter. The branches manifest in horizontal layers separated by gaps, with a flat-topped crown, said to resemble a pagoda. The alternate-leaf dogwood is a shrub or small tree that has horizontal branches that form tiers. The branches are parallel to the ground creating a layered tiered look with upturned branches like a pagoda. This plant may grow from 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 to 32 feet wide. Its leaves are elliptic to ovate and grow to 2–5 inches (5–13 cm) long and 1–2 inches (25–51 mm) broad, arranged alternately on the stems, not in opposite pairs typical of the majority of Cornus species. The leaves are most often arranged in crowded clusters around the ends of the twigs and appear almost whorled.