Dogwood Tree Identification
The flowering dogwood tree (Cornus florida) is one of the most appealing of all trees in the United States, with attractive flowers, bark, foliage and fruit. The flowering dogwood, Virginia's state tree as well as state flower, exists in the eastern United States from Massachusetts to the Gulf Coast and westward to states like Oklahoma. The flowering dogwood's distinctive characteristics allow a quick recognition of the tree, especially in springtime.
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Size
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The flowering dogwood is a small tree, growing in the 20- to 30-foot-tall range. The trunk will be less than a foot in width in most cases, with the majority between 6 and 8 inches in diameter. Flowering dogwood has a short trunk with the branches unfolding horizontal to the ground and spreading out as much as 15 feet in the canopy.
Dogwood Flowers
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Without the large modified leaves called bracts that surround the small flowers, a flowering dogwood would have little visual appeal in the spring. The bracts can be as long as 2 inches and they are white to slightly pinkish, with a notch at their ends. The four bracts are on each side of the cluster of green-yellow flowers that emerge in the mid-portion of spring. The bracts function to attract pollinating insects to the otherwise dull-looking blooms.
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Dogwood Leaves
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Dogwood leaves are elliptical and possess tiny serrations on the edges, so fine that you would require a lens to discern them. The 3- to 5-inch long leaves of a flowering dogwood have veins that curve in such a way that they wind up running parallel to the edges of the foliage. The green leaves grow in at the start of spring and give the flowering dogwood great value as an ornamental when they turn deep red in the fall.
Dogwood Fruit
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The fruit that the flowers produce is what botanists call a drupe--a fleshy fruit with a hard core---but it looks like a small berry. The brilliant red fruit occurs in clusters of three to five, and they ripen fully by the middle of fall. The shiny fruit is a delicacy that birds and other forms of wildlife will devour when they encounter them. In some instances, the fruit stays on the tree as late as the first snowfall, making for a contrast of red against white.
Bark and Wood
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The bark of flowering dogwood will be a brownish-gray combination of shades. The bark is rough, says the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees," and covers the tree with small blocks that look like scales. The wood of the flowering dogwood is a close-grained type that the Virginia Department of Forestry website notes is strong and hard. These qualities caused it to be a popular material for tool handles at one time.
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References
- Photo Credit Small White Flowers image by Van Ness from Fotolia.com
