flowering dogwood Cornaceae Cornus florida L.   symbol: COFL2
	Leaf: Opposite, simple, 3 to 5 inches long, oval in shape with an entire or slightly wavy margin, arcuately veined, green above and slightly paler below. Flower: Monoecious; very small and inconspicuous tight cluster, but surrounded by 4 very showy, large, white (occasionally pink) bracts, 2 inches in diameter, appearing in mid-spring. Fruit: A shiny, oval red drupe, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, in clusters of 3 to 5, maturing in fall. Twig: Slender, green or purple (purple on sunlit side), later turning gray, often with a glaucous bloom. The terminal flower buds are clove-shaped, vegetative buds resemble a dull cat claw. Bark: Gray and smooth when young, turning very scaly to finely blocky. Form: A small tree with a short trunk that branches low, producing a slightly rounded to flat-topped crown. Branches are opposite, and assume a "candelabra" appearance.
	USDAFS Silvics of North America - USDAFS Additional Silvics - Landowner Factsheet - USDA Plants Database Cornus florida is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting flowering dogwood (opens a new window).