User:MaritimeSquash4/sandbox

= Article Evaluation: Equisetum arvense =


 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you? The article is short but concise and informative, giving relevant information.
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added? Without doing any in-depth research the article seems to be current and up to date on the species.
 * What else could be improved? In my opinion there could be one or two more pictures showing the species up close.


 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position? Very neutral article with no biases
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented? No, the article presents the information needed and that is it.


 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article? The links work but I had a hard time finding access to the sources to compare them to the article.
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? Each fact or paragraph contains a citation, again unable to access the sources. From the websites the links take me to, the sources look to come from credible journals and do not sound to be biased from reading the facts.


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? There are no conversations currently being conduced for the species.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects? the article and topic are rated as low-importance and a start-class by Wikiproject Plants
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class? Because of the type of class this is, we talk about monilopytes and their lineage but for the article and people in general this is not a topic which comes up very often if at all.

Introduction
Cornus amomum, the silky dogwood or kinnikinnik, is a species of dogwood native to eastern]North America, from ] Ontario and Quebec south to Arkansas and Georgia. It is also found in other parts of North America. Other names for this dogwood include red willow, silky cornel, squawbush, and indigo dogwood.

It is a deciduous\ shrub growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are opposite, up to 10 cm (4 in) long and 7 cm (2 3⁄4 in) broad, oval with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in cymes. The fruit is a small blue drupe.

Classification
Silky Dogwood is usually included in the dogwood genus Cornus as Cornus amomum Mill., although it is sometimes segregated in a separate genus as Swida amomum (Mill.) Small.

Depending on the author, two subspecies or species are generally recognized:

·       Cornus amomum Mill. subsp. amomum, or Cornus amomum Mill. - eastern + south-eastern United States.

·       Cornus amomum subsp. obliqua (Raf.) J.S. Wilson, or Cornus obliqua Raf. - eastern Canada, eastern + south-eastern United States.

Description
Cornus amomum is a shrub in the dogwood family, which grows in eastern North America. The plant is a shrub growing from roughly 6 ft to 12 ft in height and 6 ft to 12 ft in width. Cornus amomum usually blooms between May and June, producing 4 showy yellowish white flowers. Cornus amomum leaves are rusty brown and pubescent, occuring opposite from one another and usually having between 4 to 5 veins per leaf side. If Cornus amomum is left unattended it will grow to create thickets and thick vegetative areas.

Taxonomy
Cornus amomum is categorized as an angiosperm eudicot, falling in the order of Cornales, the family of Cornaceae and finally the genus Cornus.

Distribution and Habitat
Cornus amomum is a native eastern North American shrub, finding suitable habitat in wetland areas like swamps, marshes and bogs. The distribution of the shrub also extents west past the Mississippi river to the eastern borders of Kansas, Nebraska and parts of northern Oklahoma. Cornus amomum is only found within the U.S. while other species such as the Cornus oblique can be found north of the U.S. into Canada. Cornus amomum prefers partial shade but can tolerate full sun. When planted, the use of organic materials to maintain a wet environment will help the shrub for when insufficient water is present. Cornus amomum is ideal in wooded areas near or around creeks or water systems. Cornus amomum can be found in the following states: West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont, South Carolina, Maine, Kentucky, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, District of Columbia, Delaware, Connecticut, Alabama, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Cornus amomum has been found at elevations from 0 feet to 1500 feet of elevation.

Conservation
Based on the IUCN Red List classification, The conservation status of Cornus amomum is a Least Concern plant. While Cornus amomum is recognized as Least Concern across the eastern parts of North America, Indiana has Cornus amomum ranked as an endangered plant through out the state.

Uses
The dogwood family is desired for ornamental uses in landscapes across the United States. Dogwoods are valued by gardeners for their spring flowers, summer foliage, fruit and leaf color. Each species of dogwood has their own unique look, Cornus amomum is a shrub which can be used in places of excess runoff or areas of water collection in a landscape as it thrives in moist to wet soil conditions. The shrub provides beautiful colors throughout the spring, summer and fall. Cornus amomum has also been used in the outdoors to help with erosion control along slopes and steep inclines, it can be planted by farmers and landowners to provide a windbreaks for homes and agriculture fields, its uses can include building natural borders between land and for wildlife conservation, and it can be used to provide habitat for many types of wildlife. Finally, Cornus amomum can minimize stream bank erosion and add stabilization along bank when coupled together with other well rooted trees and shrubs like willows. Some problems can arise from the use of Cornus amomum as a natural border, mostly as a border for wildlife and livestock. While the shrubs create a useful barrier, grazing wildlife and livestock tend to damage much of the shrub when the fruit are ripe. Other than that, there are no impending diseases or pest which would pose any sort of problem for the shrub.

Etymology
Cornus in latin means horn, this is describing the dogwoods hard wood. Amomum in latin means eastern spice.

Wildlife
Cornus amomum is primarily used by song birds, insects and rodents for its fruits which are produced in summer. Other animals such as White-tailed deer, Elk, and other land dwelling mammals feast on the fruit as well. Cornus amomum uses the animals as a method of seed dispersal. As Cornus amomum fruit decay fruitivores tend to pick only the ripe fruit and seeds, which destroy good seed that would otherwise by dropped and grow.