Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

Cornaceae (Dogwood Family)

▲▼ white-flowering trees

▲flower detail

▲▼ pink/red flowering cultivars, with flower detail below

▲▼ fruit

▲▼ fall foliage color

▲▼ fall foliage color

Location on campus:  along walk north of Carrington, in landscape area south of Plaster Student Union are best examples; many trees on campus

Cornus florida: Flowering Dogwood

·         leaves opposite, deciduous, simple, ovate with veins curving parallel to margins; dark green and glossy above and glaucous underneath; 3-6" long and 2 as wide; often good red to purple fall color

·         stems slender, green to purple with some glaucous or pubescent coating when young, glabrous with age

·         bark is gray brown and broken into square or rectangular blocks on older trees:   sort of alligator hide appearance

·         grows 20-30' tall and equally or more wide; branches often horizontally spreading to give a layered look with a rounded to irregular crown

·         flowers are greenish yellow and not showy, but 4 large white, pink to pinkish-red bracts surround the flower clusters and are very effective for about 2-4 weeks in early spring; flowers appear before the leaves and face generally upwards

·         fruit is a bright red drupe

·         prefers partial shade, although can tolerate full shade to full sun; needs cool, moist, acid, high organic matter soilC mulching of root zone area is essential during establishment; best to move when dormant in late winter

·         prone to potentially devastating anthracnose disease

·         slow to medium growth rate

·         native to Missouri

·         similar Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa), is native to Asia, has aggregate, ball-like red fruit, flowers after leaves appear and has peeling, multi-colored bark on mature trees