Family: Cornaceae, Dogwood view all from this family

Description A lovely, small, flowering tree with short trunk and crown of spreading or nearly horizontal branches.
Height: 30' (9 m).
Diameter: 8" (20 cm).
Leaves: opposite; 2 1/2-5" (6-13 cm) long, 1 1/2-2 1/2" (4-6 cm) wide. Elliptical; edges slightly wavy, appearing not toothed but with tiny teeth visible under a lens; 6-7 long curved veins on each side of midvein; short-stalked. Green and nearly hairless above, paler and covered with fine hairs beneath; turning bright red above in autumn.
Bark: dark reddish-brown; rough, broken into small square plates.
Twigs: green or reddish, slender, becoming hairless.
Flowers: 3/16" (5 mm) wide; with 4 yellowish-green petals; many of these tiny flowers tightly crowded in a head 3/4" (19 mm) wide, bordered by 4 large broadly elliptical white petal-like bracts (pink in some cultivated varieties) 1 1/2-2" (4-5 cm) long; in early spring before leaves. The flower heads (with bracts) 3-4" (7.5-10 cm) across are commonly called flowers.
Fruit: 3/8-5/8" (10-15 mm) long; berrylike, elliptical, shiny red; several at end of long stalk; thin mealy bitter pulp; stone containing 1-2 seeds; maturing in autumn.

Habitat Both moist and dry soils of valleys and uplands in understory of hardwood forests; also in old fields and along roadsides.

Range S. Ontario east to SW. Maine, south to N. Florida, west to central Texas, and north to central Michigan; to 4000' (1219 m), almost 5000' (1524 m) in southern Appalachians.

Discussion Flowering Dogwood is one of the most beautiful eastern North American trees with showy early spring flowers, red fruit, and scarlet autumn foliage. The hard wood is extremely shock-resistant and useful for making weaving-shuttles. It is also made into spools, small pulleys, mallet heads, and jeweler's blocks. Indians used the aromatic bark and roots as a remedy for malaria and extracted a red dye from the roots.