Tatarian dogwood or Red osier dogwood: how to tell them apart?

Tatarian dogwood and Red osier dogwood look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.

⚡ The quick answer

Tatarian dogwood

Cornus alba

Red osier dogwood

Cornus sericea

Tatarian dogwood and red osier dogwood are almost impossible to tell apart with certainty from the look of the twigs alone: both are grown for their bright red to purple stems in winter and their small white to pale blue fruits. Tatarian dogwood stays slightly more upright, whereas red osier dogwood tends to sucker more and form more spreading clumps — a useful clue but not an absolute one; if in doubt, the original label is more reliable than appearance alone.

🍃 Leaves

Deciduous, ovate, bright green, turning red in autumn

Opposite, ovate to elliptic, green; some garden varieties are variegated.

🌸 Flowers

Small cream-white flowers in flat corymbs

Small, white, grouped in flat corymbs

🍎 Fruits

Small white to bluish-white drupes, often grouped in clusters; they are mainly eaten by wildlife and should not be presented as everyday food fruits for humans.

Small white to pale blue drupes, gathered in clusters, mainly eaten by birds.

🪵 Bark

Bright red young twigs, very decorative in winter

Bright red to purple twigs in winter, very decorative once the leaves have fallen

📏 Size

1.5 to 3 m tall

🗺️ Habitat

Borders, riverbanks, gardens, cool soils

Planted in borders or on banks, cool to moist soils

⚠️ Toxicity

No known toxicity; fruits unappetising but not toxic.

No notable toxicity known

🔎 And from the Red osier dogwood side

Red osier dogwood and Tatarian dogwood are almost impossible to tell apart with certainty from the look of the twigs alone: both are grown for their bright red to purple stems in winter and their small white to pale blue fruits. Red osier dogwood tends to sucker more and form more spreading clumps, whereas Tatarian dogwood stays slightly more upright — a useful clue but not an absolute one; if in doubt, the original label is more reliable than appearance alone.

🌿 Go further

Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.

View the profile: Tatarian dogwood View the profile: Red osier dogwood

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.