cornus canadensis is a slow-growing herbaceous subshrub growing – cm tall generally forming a carpet-like mat the above-ground shoots rise from slender creeping rhizomes that are placed – cm deep in the soil and form clonal colonies under trees the vertically produced above-ground stems are slender and unbranched the leaves are oppositely arranged on the stem but are clustered with six leaves that often seem to be in a whorl because the internodes are compressed the leafy green leaves are produced near the terminal node and consist of two types  larger and  smaller leaves the smaller leaves develop from the axillary buds of the larger leaves the shiny dark green leaves have  to  mm long petioles and leaf blades that are obovate the blades have entire margins and are  to  cm long and  to  cm wide with  or  veins and cuneate shaped bases and abruptly acuminate apexes in the fall the leaves have red tinted veins and turn completely red