Cornus florida
Flowering dogwood is a small tree growing up to 40 feet tall. Its tiny yellow to green flowers are inconspicuous and are clustered in the center of 4 large, white bracts that look like petals. Flowers are insect pollinated.
Flowering dogwood tolerates moist to well-drained, upland soils. It is often found in mesic deciduous woods,
on floodplains, lower to middle slopes and along streams. It is very shade tolerant, and is reportedly
sensitive to drought and flooding. Flowering dogwood can be found throughout Norfolk Botanical Garden, particularly in the natural areas.
This species is part of the Southeastern Virginia Phenology Network.
| Type | Small to medium tree | |
| Size | up to 40′ high | |
| Flower | small green/yellow flowers surrounded by 4 showy white bracts; spring | |
| Fruit | clusters of red berries; summer-fall | |
| Hardy | Zones 5-9 | |
| Native | Eastern North America |
Click here to see the USA-NPN Species Profile for flowering dogwood, which includes detailed descriptions of the phenophases being monitored and a link to the USA-NPN monitoring datasheets.
Click here to link to the USA-NPN web site
Phenophase Photos
| Emerging leaves & bud |  |
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| fall leaf color |  |
Fruit (drupe) |  |