Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A beautiful tree with showy early spring flowers, red berries and scarlet fall foliage. Dogwood occurs naturally as a small- to medium-sized understory tree and should be placed in ornamental plantings where it is shaded.Special notes: flowering dogwood is Missouri's state tree.
Identifying Characteristics
- Height
- 40 ft
- Spread
- 35 ft
- Leaves
- opposite, simple, egg-shaped, 3" - 5" long; edges slightly wavy, dark green
- Flowers
- small, surrounded by 4 large, white petal-like bracts; appearing before the leaves in early spring
- Fruit
- scarlet, egg-shaped berries, l/2" long
- Bark
- purplish-green on young twigs; older bark reddish-brown, rough, broken into small square plates
- Associated species
- white, scarlet, black, post and black oak, hickory
- Ideal site conditions
- moist soil, shade
- Value to man
- landscaping
- Value to wildlife
- food
- Growth Rate
- medium
- Rate
