Intro:

Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) green or purple or red, glabrous or pubescent, puberulent. Leaf scars crescent-shaped or V-shaped, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks checkered or furrowed. Buds axillary or terminal, gray or green or tan, conic or globose, blunt or sharp, glabrous or pubescent, bud scales imbricate or valvate or single scale.

Leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, opposite, 6-10(-15) cm long, 3-7 cm wide, obovate or oval or ovate, leaf margins entire or crenulate or serrulate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases cuneate or obtuse or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrate or pubescent, puberulent or strigose. Leaf lower surface gray or green or white, pubescent, strigose. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein 5-6. Petioles 1.2-2 cm long. Stipules absent.

Inforescence: Inflorescences terminal, cymes or heads, flowers sessile.

Flowers: Flowers bisexual, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 4 per flower, ascending, green or yellow or yellow-green, pubescent, puberulent, persistent. Corolla radially symmetric, funnelform, sympetalous. Petals 4 per flower, reflexed or ascending, green or pink or red or white or yellow or yellow-green, lorate or ovate, petal apices acute or rounded, pubescent, caducous. Androecium. Stamens 4 per flower, alternating with petals, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

Fruits: Fruits drupes, 0.8-1.8 cm long, red or scarlet or yellow, fruit maturation 1 years.

Comments: Inflorescence subtended by 4 white (occasionally pink to red), showy, petal-like bracts; the actual petals are minute and typically greenish yellow; lateral leaf veins arch back toward the midvein as they approach the margin.

Height: 12-36 ft.

plant sale text: Flowering dogwood, the state flower of North Carolina, is found growing in a wide variety of dry to moist forests and woodlands throughout the state. The four large white "petals" of the dogwood are actually bracts that surround the small, clustered flowers at their center. These small flowers attract many pollinators, including butterflies and bees, and the subsequent red fruits provide food for birds throughout the fall and winter.

bloom table text:

description:

stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) green or purple or red, glabrous or pubescent, puberulent. Leaf scars crescent-shaped or V-shaped, bundle scars 3 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks checkered or furrowed. Buds axillary or terminal, gray or green or tan, conic or globose, blunt or sharp, glabrous or pubescent, bud scales imbricate or valvate or single scale.

leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, opposite, 6-10(-15) cm long, 3-7 cm wide, obovate or oval or ovate, leaf margins entire or crenulate or serrulate, leaf apices acuminate or acute, leaf bases cuneate or obtuse or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrate or pubescent, puberulent or strigose. Leaf lower surface gray or green or white, pubescent, strigose. Leaf venation pinnate, secondary veins on either side of the midvein 5-6. Petioles 1.2-2 cm long. Stipules absent.

inflorescence: Inflorescences terminal, cymes or heads, flowers sessile.

flowers: Flowers bisexual, epigynous. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 4 per flower, ascending, green or yellow or yellow-green, pubescent, puberulent, persistent. Corolla radially symmetric, funnelform, sympetalous. Petals 4 per flower, reflexed or ascending, green or pink or red or white or yellow or yellow-green, lorate or ovate, petal apices acute or rounded, pubescent, caducous. Androecium. Stamens 4 per flower, alternating with petals, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries inferior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 2 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil, placentation axile. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.

fruits: Fruits drupes, 0.8-1.8 cm long, red or scarlet or yellow, fruit maturation 1 years.

comments: Inflorescence subtended by 4 white (occasionally pink to red), showy, petal-like bracts; the actual petals are minute and typically greenish yellow; lateral leaf veins arch back toward the midvein as they approach the margin.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern N. America & ne. Mexico