Flowering Dogwood

Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

Least Concern

Quick Facts

Kingdom: Plantae
Abundance: Common
Habitat: Forest, Urban
Active Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall

A lovely, small, flowering tree known as one of the most beautiful trees in Eastern North America. The Dogwood has a short trunk, spreading branches, and red berries that appear in autumn. The showy, early-spring flowers have greenish-white or pink petals and bloom before the leaves. The light, close-grained, hard wood is extremely shock-resistant and useful for making spools, small pulleys, mallet heads, and some golf club heads. Indigenous people used the aromatic bark and roots as a remedy for malaria and extracted a red dye from the roots. Height: 15-25’ Spread: 15-20’

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Cornales
Family: Cornaceae
Genus: Cornus
Species: Cornus florida

Scientific Name

Cornus florida
Plant Type
Tree
Foliage
Deciduous
Flowering Season
February-June
Fruiting Season
Late Summer Early Fall

Ecological Role

Larval host of the Spring Azure (Celastrina "ladon")

Active Seasons

Spring Summer Fall

Habitat Types

Forest
Urban

Geographic Distribution

Native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida and west to the Mississippi River.

Local Abundance

Common

Conservation Status

Least Concern

This species is widespread and abundant. No immediate threat to survival.

How You Can Help

  • Report sightings to contribute to population monitoring
  • Support habitat conservation efforts
  • Follow guidelines when observing wildlife
No field notes or observations available for this species.

Contribute Your Observations

Have you spotted this species? Your observations help us track populations and understand behavior patterns.

Submit an Observation