Flowering Pink Dogwood

The flowering dogwood is native to most of the eastern United States, and its white, pink, or red flowers are desirable by many for ornamental purposes. When the dogwood flowers, it is a sure sign that spring has arrived, and many other flowering trees will soon follow suit. Not only is it attractive for your yard, but it is considered a soil improver due to its leaf litter that decomposes more rapidly than most other species. It is the state tree of Missouri and Virginia.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cornus florida

HISTORY: Native Americans have used the root bark of the flowering dogwood for multiple medicinal purposes, such as fever reducer, skin astringent, antidiarrheal agent, and pain reliever. It was also used to counteract the effects of poisons. The flowers of the dogwood were infused to reduce fever and colic pains, while compound fusions of other parts of the dogwood were used as blood purifiers for diseases like malaria. In colonial history, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both admired the dogwood, planting them at Mount Vernon and Monticello. Later, during the American Civil War, desperate doctors used tea made from dogwood bark as a quinine substitute (quinine is a medication used for treating malaria).

LEAVES: Flowering dogwoods have alternate, simple, pale green leaves that are rounded with a pointed tip. The veins of dogwood leaves run toward the tip. In the fall, the leaves turn red to maroon.

FRUIT/CONE/NUT/SEED: Flowering dogwoods produce clusters of bright yellow or red drupes that contain two seeds and ripen in July-August. These are poisonous for humans.

FLOWERS: The flowers of flowering dogwoods sometimes appear before the leaves, appearing as early as March and sometimes lasting until June. The flowers themselves are typically small and yellow with four showy bracts (petal-like leaves) that can be white, pink, or red.

BARK: Mature flowering dogwoods have gray-brown alligator bark, or bark with small square blocks that look like the scales of an alligator.

HEIGHT: Flowering dogwoods can attain heights of 20-40 feet.

USES: The wood of flowering dogwoods is considered quite useful and is harvested for tool handles, charcoal, wheel cogs, hayforks, pulleys, and other specialty items like golf club heads. It is ideal for wood products that need to withstand rough use, as it is hard and shock resistant.

SOURCES:

https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_cofl2.pdf

https://www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/intro-to-trees-of-indiana-flowering-dogwood/#:~:text=This%20small%20native%20Indiana%20tree,and%20curve%20to%20the%20tip.

https://www.arborday.org/programs/nationaltree/dogwood.cfm#:~:text=The%20Dogwood's%20Place%20in%20History,tea%20as%20a%20quinine%20substitute.

https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/flowering-dogwood/

The Beardsley Avenue District Tree Tour is generously sponsored by Kallimani Tree Services.