It is native to mountain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

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

[1] 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.

It is also found on ridges and slopes in montane oak and pine–oak forests.

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