Plant Image Data Base
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood
- Form
- small deciduous ornamental tree
- maturing at 15' tall by 25' wide or even larger
under optimum conditions, but often much smaller
in non-Southern climates or under stressful
conditions
- Culture
- tolerates full sun to full shade, but best placed
in partial sun to partial shade
- needs well-drained but continuously moist, acidic
soils; soil acidity is extremely important for
this species to thrive
- abundant availability, including many cultivars,
in ball and burlap or container form
- not tolerant of soil compaction, severe heat with
drought, poor drainage, alkaline soils, or urban
stress in general, but does well under high
humidity conditions
- Foliage
- medium to dark green above but silvery-green
below; by late Summer the leaves have often
curled or slightly scorched at the margins due to
the summer heat, and freely reveal the silvery
undersides of the leaves without the aid of a
breeze
- fall color is red to crimson-purple, in September
and October and often spectacular, especially if
sited in full sun to partial sun
- Flowers
- four white showy bracts that are obovate and have
reddish-brown indentations at their apices; each
inflorescence is about 3" across
- flowering in late April and early May and
spectacular for up to one week
- Fruits
- very showy red fruits contrast well with the
green foliage, or are showy by themselves if
persistent throughout late Autumn and into Winter
- fruits are readily eaten by birds and squirrels,
either on the tree or after abscission
- Function
- focal point, specimen, foundation, entranceway,
under story, border, naturalizing, wildlife
attraction, or four-season accent ornamental tree
- Assets
- four-season small ornamental tree (Spring
flowers, Summer foliage, Autumn foliage and
berries, Winter bark, layered branching, and
floral buds)
-
- Purpose
- Flowering Dogwood is a very popular
Spring-flowering small tree that is also a
four-season ornamental accent.
- Summary
- Cornus florida is a four-season small tree
noted for its flower, fruit, foliage, fall color,
bark, flower bud, and layered branching
ornamental features, but often performing far
below its potential when sited in neutral to
alkaline soils.
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