Cornus florida L.

Flowering dogwood

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Flowering dogwoods are common North American native plants in the wild, also popular in cultivated plantings.

Identification: Flowering dogwood is somewhere between a large bush, at a typical 15' (4.6 m) in height, and a small tree, at up to 30' (9.1 m). It has a single trunk and rounded crown typical of a tree. The trunk bark separates into square blocks or scales about 1" (2.5 cm) across as the tree ages. Leaves are opposite, 4-8" (10-20 cm) long and half as wide, with smooth edges and prominent veins, turning red to deep reddish purple in the fall. Flowers are white, and up to 4" (10 cm) across. Okay, I lied: in fact, the flowers are green (!), a small inconspicuous disc in the center of what appears to be the flower. The familiar white petals are actually bracts—modified leaves. Fruits are bright red, oval, ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) long, in small tight clusters.

Edibility: Poisonous Though favored by many types of wildlife, the bright red berries are poisonous to people.

Online References:

Www.carolinanature.com

Floridata.com

Plants.ces.ncsu.edu

The USDA Forest Service's Silvics of North America site

The University of Florida Environmental Horticulture site

References:

Sibley, David Allen, The Sibley Guide to Trees, Alfred A. Knopf, 2009, p. 356

Petrides, George A., Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1972, p. 76, 106

Little, Elbert L., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees, Eastern Region, Alfred A. Knopf, 1980, p. 76, 615

Dirr, Michael A., Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, Timber Press, 1997, p. 104

Symonds, George W.D., Shrub Identification Book, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1963, p. 98

Symonds, George W. D.; photos by Chelminski, Stephen V., The Tree Identification Book, Harper, 2003, p. 112

1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hamp­shire

7/29/2023 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts ID is uncertain

7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Cornus florida description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

7/6/2013 · Mike and Ellen’s, Shohola, Penn­syl­vania
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

5/31/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm) ID is uncertain

7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain

4/4/2011 · Oregon Ridge State Park, Timonium, Mary­land
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 5-9a:

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