Identifying characteristics: The flowering dogwood is a small, flat-topped tree 10 to 30 feet tall, with a tiered, horizontally-branching habit. The leaves are opposite, simple, entire and 3 to 6 inches long, with a pointed tip. The texture of the leaf is firm and thick and it is slightly hairy above and paler and hairy beneath. This species is one of the most consistent for colorful fall foliage. The tiny flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish heads, clustered at the center of 4 showy, 2- to 4-inch-long notched bracts. Generally white, the bracts appear with the leaves in April and May and remain effective for up to 2 weeks. The scarlet, oblong, berry-like drupes are produced in clusters of 3 to 4, ripening in September and October and remaining on the tree until mid-December. The leaf buds are small, narrow and cone-shaped, covered with 2 opposite scales and almost hidden by the raised leaf scar. The paired leaf scars usually encircle the stem. The flower buds are nearly rounded and are covered by 2 large, hairy scales. The reddish-brown bark is broken into small, square blocks similar to an alligator's back. Bark of the flowering dogwood was once used as a substitute for quinine for fevers.
Similar species:
Ecology:
Distribution: This species is native from the extreme southwest
of Maine to eastern Kansas, and south to eastern Texas and Florida. It will
grow satisfactorily in southern, eastern and central Iowa if planted in
good soils, but the flower buds do not usually survive the cold winters.
Habitat: Although it will grow in a variety of soils, from well-drained,
upland soils to the deep, moist soils of lower slopes, the flowering dogwood
prefers acid, well-drained soils. It is very shade tolerant, but will also
grow in full sun. It is usually free of foliage problems, but in
recent years, anthracnose, a disease that causes leaf spotting, blighting
and twig dieback has been seriously affecting trees in the northeast and
also occurs in the Pacific Northwest. Borers often attack stressed trees
and crown canker is a serious disease in several northeastern states.
Uses:
Wood: The wood is moderately important as it is very heavy, hard
and fine-grained. It is a tough, shiny, red-brown wood, used for tool handles
and shuttles and formerly used for making hubs of small wheels, barrel-hoops
and occasionally engraver's blocks.
Wildlife: Birds frequently eat the flower buds during winter, affecting the blooming the following spring. Songbirds, squirrels, raccoons and small mammals eat the fruits and white-tailed deer browse the leaves, twigs and especially the new growth.
Horticulture: This is one of the most popular native flowering trees in the US. It is a dependable, attractive and adaptable tree, excellent for use as a specimen, massed in groups or planted at the corners of buildings. Cultivars include " White Cloud," a free-flowerer with white bracts; "Rubra," with rose-colored bracts; and "Pendula," with pendulous branches.
