Cornus schindleri Wangerin

This species is somewhat continuously variable morphologically across its range. In particular, the ratio of filament length to petal length shows an E-N-W-S pattern, with a higher ratio in the east and lower ratio in the west. Due to this association with geography, two subspecies are recognized (Xiang, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 9(1): 125–138. 1989).

Trees or shrubs, 2–8(–10) m tall. Bark brown; young branches 4-angled, densely pubescent with brown or grayish trichomes, rarely glabrous; old branches reddish or grayish purplish brown, glabrous, with sparse whitish rounded or elliptic lenticels. Leaves opposite; leaf blade abaxially light green or grayish green, elliptic or ovate-elliptic to broadly ovate, rarely narrowly elliptic or rounded or elliptic-lanceolate, 4–11(–15) × 2.5–6.5(–8) cm, papery to thickly papery, often papillate and conspicuously pubescent with whitish to brownish curly spreading trichomes on veins or on entire surface, veins 6–8(or 9), base cuneate to rounded or cordate, rarely slightly oblique, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate. Corymbose cymes (5–)6–10 cm wide, densely pubescent with yellowish or brown, rarely rusty red, often deciduous curly trichomes. Pedicels 1–5(–6) mm. Flowers white, (6–)7–8 mm in diam. Calyx lobes triangular, rarely lanceolate, (0.2–)0.3–0.5 mm, longer, rarely shorter, than disk. Petals oblong, oblong-lanceolate, triangular-lanceolate, or triangular-ovate, 2.5–4 × 0.7–1.8 mm. Stamens equal to or longer than petals; anthers light blue, grayish, or yellow, oblong to narrowly oblong. Style cylindrical, 2–3(–4) mm; stigma capitate to disciform, broader than style, often slightly lobed. Fruit purplish or reddish black, black at maturity, subglobose, 4–6 mm in diam.; stones compressed globose or ovoid, 3–4 × 2.8–3.5 mm, conspicuously or inconspicuously 8-ribbed, rarely ripe fruits 10-ribbed. Fl. May–Jul, fr. Aug–Oct.

SE Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, W Hubei, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, N Yunnan.

Dense to sparse forests, mixed forest or thickets on slopes and in valleys, open hillsides; 1100–3200 m.