Bunchberries.

Now I know the difference between the two bunchberries.

I've long wondered why the dwarf cornels, Cornus canadensis and Cornus suecica are different species: they look pretty much identical to me.

It's been a few years since I've seen the local bunchberry, and I've usually only noticed it in berry, when I'm out picking lingonberries. (They both have red berries, and some bunchberries always make their way into the lingonberry bucket - no problem, it's not toxic, but it's not lingonberry).

But this year I found a patch in full flower.

I saw the mercadian bunchberry in the wild in the woods of Oregon a few years ago.

And on my Sweden tour this year there was a mercadian bunchberry in full flower, in the botanical garden of Copenhagen.

Pretty, aren't they?

Pic: Cornus suecica, bunchberry.

Pic: Cornus canadensis, bunchberry.