By Paul Wonning Cornus florida
Family - Cornaceae - Dogwood The burgundy-red leaves of the Flowering Dogwood are a perfect accent to the other fall colors found in the autumn forest. Usually accompanied by bright red berries, the leaves provide a lovely accent to the woodland mosaic of color. The leaves are oval, pointed at the top and broadest near the middle. Cornus florida is an under story tree, usually only growing to thirty or forty feet tall, the sugar maples, oaks and tulip poplars towering above it. Other trees usually keeping company with the dogwood are redbud, hawthorns, and American Beech. The range of the flowering dogwood encompasses almost the entire eastern seaboard, stopping in central Florida, extends west to eastern Texas and northeast to Indiana and Michigan. The bright red fruit is attractive to many species of birds which utilize it as a food source. Squirrels and raccoons also feed on them. The wood of flowering dogwood is close grained and hard. Tool handles can be made from it and the pioneers used it to make spinning wheel shuttles, small wheel hubs and barrel staves. The pioneers also used the bark as a quinine substitute to cure fevers. Flowering dogwood is an attractive tree during the whole year. Spring brings the white, pink, or red flower, summer attractive green foliage and fall the burgundy leaves with the bright red berries as a foil. The attractive and interesting branch structure and bark make the tree a winter ornamental also. 2006
Paul Wonning is the owner of Gardens and Nature.com a web site about gardening, hiking and other nature related topics.
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