| Scientific Name: | Cornus florida |
| Common Name: | eastern flowering dogwood, pink flowering dogwood |
| Family Name: | Cornaceae |
| Origin: | Canada - eastern, U.S. - northeast, U.S. - southwest |
| Hardiness Zone: | Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C) |
| Plant Type: | Tree - deciduous |
| Mature Size: | 5 - 7m x 5 - 7m (height x width) |
| Habit: | Spreading, Upright |
| Form: | Oval - horizontal |
| Texture: | Medium |
| Landscape Uses: | Fall interest, Mixed shrub border, Screening, Shade tree, Small garden/space, Specimen plant, Spring interest, Woodland margin |
| Exposure: | Full sun, Part sun/part shade |
| Soil or Media: | Acidic, Well-drained |
| Leaves: | Simple, Opposite, Soft flexible, Pinnate venation, Pubescent, Ovate, Entire |
| Flowers: | Spike, White, Green-yellow, Red, Apr-May |
| Fruit: | Drupe, Edible, Red, Sep-Oct |
| Key ID Features: | |
| Small tree with horizontal branching and plated bark; leaves opposite, ovate-obovate, most blades 7-12cm long x 2-6cm wide, 5-7 vein pairs; flowers before or as the leaves emerge, florets about 6mm long, in 1-1.5cm wide clusters of 15-30, and surrounded by 4 large petal-like bracts, bract apex rounded and usually with a cleft (compared to more pointed bract tips of C. kousa); drupes oval, most 8-14mm long, red, singular to clustered. Winter ID: bark texture resembles 'Alligator skin'; twigs glaucous, red/purple, fine grey pubescence; terminal flower buds look garlic bulb-shaped with four scale-like pointy immature bracts, leaf buds stalked, valvate, conical, about 7mm long. | |