Cornus excelsa
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Cornales
Family:	Cornaceae
Genus:	Cornus
Subgenus:	Cornus subg. Kraniopsis
Species:	C. excelsa
Binomial name
Cornus excelsa Kunth
Synonyms[2]
Swida excelsa (Kunth) Soják Thelycrania excelsa (Kunth) Pojark. Cornus lanceolata Rose Cornus pubescens Willd. Cornus tolucensis Kunth Swida lanceolata (Rose) Holub Swida tolucensis (Kunth) Holub Thelycrania lanceolata (Rose) Pojark. Thelycrania tolucensis (Kunth) Pojark.

Cornus excelsa is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood genus (Cornus). It is native to mountain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.^[2]

Description

Cornus excelsa is a tree which grows up to 12 meters tall, with a trunk up to 15 cm in diameter.^[1]

Range and habitat

Cornus excelsa is found in the mountains of Mexico and northern Central America, including the Sierra Madre Oriental, southern Sierra Madre Occidental, Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, Sierra Madre del Sur, and Chiapas Highlands of Mexico, the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of Mexico and Guatemala, and the Guatemalan Highlands of Guatemala and Honduras.^[1]

It is typically found in cloud forests, where it is a common early successional tree found in secondary vegetation. It is also found on ridges and slopes in montane oak and pine–oak forests. It ranges from 1,500 to 2,800 meters elevation.^[1]

Seedlings can be readily grown from chemically scarified seeds.^[1]

References