Cornus florida
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KOR-nus FLOR-ih-dah
- Description
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Cornus Florida, or Flowering Dogwood, is a small, deciduous, flowering tree that may grow 15 to 25 feet tall and 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Occasionally, it will reach a height of 40 feet with a trunk diameter of 12 to 18 inches. The leaves are alternate, acutely veined, with a smooth to wavy margin. The bark is smooth when young. As the tree ages, the bark becomes very scaly to finely blocky.
The tree is known and admired for its display of very showy, large, white (occasionally pink) bracts that emerge before the leaves in early spring and surround small, inconspicuous, tight clusters of green flowers. The small tree also produces fruit in the form of a cluster of red drupes that mature in the fall. The Dogwood flower, which is actually the petal-like bracts, is the state flower of North Carolina and the tree is found throughout the state, usually under larger forest trees.
The Flowering dogwood is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. It prefers moist, well-drained, organically rich, acidic soils in part shade. It will benefit from a 2-4” mulch which will help keep roots cool and moist in summer. It can withstand hot temperatures as long as the roots remain moist and well-mulched.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Calico scale, dogwood borer, dogwood sawfly, Japanese maple scale, leafhoppers, oyster shell scale. Dogwood anthracnose is not all that common, only occurs at 1800 feet or higher elevation. Spot anthracnose is more common. Trees are also susceptible to powdery mildew, leaf spot, canker, root rot and leaf, and twig blight crown canker, bacterial leaf scorch, powdery mildew, septoria leaf spot. The foliage is browsed by white-tailed deer and these trees do not withstand pollution.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Backyard Patio Border Garden- Pathway Flower Bonanza Garden Driveway Garden Flower Bonanza Garden Woodland Walk
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Appalachian Blush'
- 'Appalachian Spring'
white flowers - 'Cherokee Brave'
Red flowers, resistant to powdery mildew, moderately resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Chief'
Red flowers, resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Daybreak'
Variegated foliage, highly susceptible to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Princess'
White flowers, highly susceptible to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Sunset'
variegated foliage - 'Cloud 9'
white flowers - 'Double White'
Moderately resistant to powdery mildew and spot anthracnose - 'Pringlei'
- 'Pygmy'
dwarf cultivar - 'Rubra'
Pink flowers, moderately resistant to spot antracnose - 'Sweetwater'
red flowers - 'Weaver's White'
Resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Welch's Bay Beauty'
Resistant to spot anthracnose
- 'Appalachian Blush'
- 'Appalachian Blush', 'Appalachian Spring', 'Cherokee Brave', 'Cherokee Chief', 'Cherokee Daybreak', 'Cherokee Princess', 'Cherokee Sunset', 'Cloud 9', 'Double White', 'Pringlei', 'Pygmy', 'Rubra', 'Sweetwater', 'Weaver's White', 'Welch's Bay Beauty'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Appalachian Blush'
- 'Appalachian Spring'
white flowers - 'Cherokee Brave'
Red flowers, resistant to powdery mildew, moderately resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Chief'
Red flowers, resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Daybreak'
Variegated foliage, highly susceptible to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Princess'
White flowers, highly susceptible to spot anthracnose - 'Cherokee Sunset'
variegated foliage - 'Cloud 9'
white flowers - 'Double White'
Moderately resistant to powdery mildew and spot anthracnose - 'Pringlei'
- 'Pygmy'
dwarf cultivar - 'Rubra'
Pink flowers, moderately resistant to spot antracnose - 'Sweetwater'
red flowers - 'Weaver's White'
Resistant to spot anthracnose - 'Welch's Bay Beauty'
Resistant to spot anthracnose
- 'Appalachian Blush'
- 'Appalachian Blush', 'Appalachian Spring', 'Cherokee Brave', 'Cherokee Chief', 'Cherokee Daybreak', 'Cherokee Princess', 'Cherokee Sunset', 'Cloud 9', 'Double White', 'Pringlei', 'Pygmy', 'Rubra', 'Sweetwater', 'Weaver's White', 'Welch's Bay Beauty'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cornus
- Species:
- florida
- Family:
- Cornaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- This plant was used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans, as well as for carvings, looms, and disinfectant. Wood is hard, heavy, close grained and strong. Often used for textile shuttles and spools as well as handles for tools.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Eastern Canada, Eastern North America, to Eastern Mexico
- Distribution:
- S. Ontario to Maine south to Florida, east to KS and Texas.
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- It is a host plant for the spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) butterfly/larvae. Flights are from May to August in Canada but range from January through October near the Gulf Coast. Butterflies nectar on the blooms. Its fruits are eaten by songbirds, ruffed grouse, quail, wild turkey, chipmunks, black bear, foxes, white-tailed deer, skunks, and squirrels. Members of the genus Cornus support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Gonandrena) fragilis, Andrena (Gonandrena) integra, and Andrena (Gonandrena) platyparia. The fruits are food for birds. Deer eat the leaves and twigs.
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Edible fruit
- Shade
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- fire in the landscape. Heat and drought tolerant.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Pyramidal
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12-24 feet
- 24-60 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit is a glossy bright, shiny red, oval drupes (0.5" )in tight clusters of 3 or 4 that are bitter and inedible to humans but loved by birds. They display from August to October.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Pink
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Insignificant
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Shape:
- Cross
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 3-6 inches
- Flower Description:
- Blooms early spring before leaf-out, March-May, the true flowers at the center, are green and insignificant, but are surrounded by 4 petal-like 2 inch long bracts, notched at the ends, that are often mistaken for the actual flowers. Flower buds are round and flattened at the ends of stems, (many) greenish-yellow; bud is biscuit-shaped, glabrous and flattened, gray-green, at branch ends, covered by 2 large silky scales becoming 2 of the showy white bracts.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Cuneate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Veins curve from base of leaf to tip. Fall color holds well. Opposite, simple, oval to ovate, acuminate, cuneate to rotund, entire, dull green above, glaucous beneath and pubescent on the veins, 6-7 vein pairs, 2.5-6" long; fall color red to reddish purple.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Ridges
- Bark Plate Shape:
- Rectangle
- Square
- Bark Description:
- Attractive, dark gray, brown or black bark that is broken into small scaly blocks as the tree matures.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Horizontal branching. Slender, green to purple, sometimes coated with fine powder, pubescent when young, later glabrous; bark broken into small squarish and rectangular, grayish-brown to blackish blocks.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Patio
- Recreational Play Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Border
- Flowering Tree
- Mass Planting
- Shade Tree
- Specimen
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Compaction
- Deer
- Fire
- Wind
- Problems:
- Frequent Disease Problems
