When I first thought of doing a monthly plant profile I knew that I wanted to highlight the gorgeous flowering dogwood tree. I became acquainted with this stunning tree while living in DC and the photos are from my trip to DC this past April.
Genus: Cornus florida
Common Name: Flowering Dogwood tree
Description
The Flowering dogwood is a beautiful, delicate tree that can grow 25-40 (7.62- 12.192) feet high.
It has beautiful white or pink flowers and is often wider than it is tall.
Habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
The flowering dogwood is native to the eastern part of the United States, from New England south to the Gulf Coast.
Ideal Growing conditions
Flowering dogwood does best in moist, acidic soil in a site with some afternoon shade, but good morning sun. It does not do well when exposed to intense heat sources.
USDA Hardiness zone
The hardiness zone for flowering dogwood is 5–9
5 a −20 °F (−28.9 °C) −15 °F (−26.1 °C)
6 a −10 °F (−23.3 °C) −5 °F (−20.6 °C)
7 a 0 °F (−17.8 °C) 5 °F (−15 °C)
8 a 10 °F (−12.2 °C) 15 °F (−9.4 °C)
9 a 20 °F (−6.7 °C) 25 °F (−3.9 °C)
Type
The flowering dogwood is a deciduous tree , meaning that it shed it's leaves annually.
Flowers/Fruit
The flowering dogwood blooms in early spring.
It has green leaves and large and white or pink bracts/ flowers.
The fruit is red, oval drupes that mature (ripen) in the fall. While not poisonous to humans, the fruit is extremely sour and unpleasant-tasting. Flowering dogwood is monoecious, meaning the tree has both male and female flowers, and all trees will produce fruit.
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Propagating
The most common way to propagate this beautiful tree is via the seeds.
Uses
The flowering dogwood is used as ornamental trees in yards and gardens. It is such a treat to walk through neighborhoods with dogwood trees in the yards.
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Interesting facts:
Native Americans used the bark and roots in a remedy for malaria; a red dye was also extracted from the roots.
The hard, dense wood has been used for products such as golf club heads, mallets, wooden rake teeth, tool handles, jeweler's boxes and butcher's blocks.
Cornus florida is the state tree and flower of Virginia, the state tree of Missouri, and state flower of North Carolina.
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As a photographer I enjoy taking pictures of trees and am so happy to highlight this gorgeous and delicate tree on the plant profile this month.
Sources:
USDA Hardiness Zone
What Is the Habitat for Dogwood Trees?
Cornus florida
Tree Charlotte
