100 Species Challenge--Dogwood

One of my favorite trees. We have several pink and white dogwoods around our house (I can't seem to find any of my pictures of the white in flower). It's an understory tree that is native to the South/Southeast US, with four petals (actually bracts, according to Wikipedia) of white, pink, or even red. This is something I just learned; its flowers are not actually those four "petals" but rather the little cluster of yellowish buds that bloom in the middle of the flowerhead.

It blooms in the early spring, right around Easter time, with fruit reaching maturity around September or October (now!)


It grows to about 15-30 feet tall and is deciduous; the leaves, which are a pointed oval shape, turn red in the fall before they drop. Its fruit is a cluster of bright red, oblong berries (birds love them), each a little bit smaller than your pinkie fingernail. I grew up with these under my window. The red berries were so cheery, and I love the dogwood legend.



1. Dogwood (Cornus florida)