Majestically ornamental, dogwood trees are pretty and can give off a sakura vibe with fruits.Native to North America, Eurasia, and other temperate and boreal areas, you might wonder about the name ‘dogwood.’ Let’s keep reading below to find out more!The flowering dogwood or Cornus florida tree is a flowering tree species that belongs to the family Cornaceae, which can live up to 80 years on average. This species is native to temperate and boreal areas like North America, Eurasia, parts of Australia and can also be planted in regions like east Texas and Indiana. It can grow between November and December in the central Texas region like Austin.The name dogwood might also have derived from the Old English word ‘dagwood’ because its slender hardwood stems would help make sharp objects, ‘dags,’ like daggers. These trees can range from 15-40 ft (4.5-12.2 m) tall.Can you guess the number of species within the genus Cornus? There are around 30-60 species within the Cornus genus. One of the most commonly found species is the flowering dogwood, also the state tree of Virginia. The beauty of this species lies in the showy bracts, interesting bark structure, and prominent flowers, which can vary in color, from a shade like pale yellow to white, that bloom during early spring. The other Cornus species in this genus can be very different, like the cornelian cherry or the European cherry. The cornelian cherry has red berries and yellow flowers.Although dogwood trees are pretty, ornamental for your landscape, and also quite convenient to grow, these trees, just like any other, do have their two basic needs; water and sunlight, and some space as well. An average dogwood grows 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) per year. However, water might be an issue when it comes to dogwood trees. A dogwood tree’s adaptability does not do great in semi-arid to arid conditions, and you might have to make sure of proper irrigation in such areas. If you love reading about trees, you may enjoy reading our other articles such as ‘do palm trees have coconuts’ and ‘begonia facts’ here on Kidadl!Dogwood Tree: ClassificationThe Cornus genus has around 30-60 dogwood species within it. So come, let’s explore the world of this beautiful family of woody plants in terms of their classifications.Many species of the Cornus genus can be grouped based on their features, like the blue or white-fruited dogwoods, cornelian cherries, big-bracted dogwoods, dwarf dogwoods.The subgenus Kraniopsis include the species Cornus alba or Siberian dogwood, the Cornus amomum or silky dogwood, Cornus asperifolia or tough leaf dogwood, the Cornus coreana or Korean dogwood, Cornus drummondii or rough leaf dogwood, Cornus foemina or stiff dogwood, Cornus glabrata, Cornus hemlsleyi, Cornus koehneana, Cornus macrophylla or large-leaved dogwood, Cornus obliqua or pale dogwood, Cornus paucinervis, Cornus racemosa or northern swamp dogwood or gray dogwood, Cornus rugosa or round-leaf dogwood, Cornus sanguinea or common dogwood, Cornus sericea or red osier dogwood, Cornus walteri or Walter’s dogwood, the Cornus wilsoniana. The subgenus Mesomora of this subgroup includes the species Cornus alternifolia, commonly known as pagoda dogwood or alternate-leaf dogwood.The blue or white-fruited subgroup includes the subgenus Yinquania, which again includes the species Cornus oblonga and Cornus peruviana.The subgenera within the subgroup of big-bracted dogwoods are Discocrania, Cynoxylon, Syncarpea. The subgenus Discocrania consists of Cornus disciflora. Subgenus Cynoxylon comprises the species Cornus florida or the flowering dogwood and Cornus nuttallii or Pacific dogwood. The subgenus Syncarpea comprises the species Cornus capitata, Cornus elliptica, Cornus hongkongensis, and Cornus kousa or kousa dogwood.The subgroup of cornelian cherries contains the subgenera Afrocrania, Cornus, and Sinocornus. The subgenus Afrocrania consists of the dogwood species Cornus volkensii. The subgenus Cornus consists of the species Cornus eydeana, Cornus mas, also known as the cornelian cherry or the European cornel, Cornus officinalis or the Japanese cornel, and Cornus sessilis. The subgenus Sinocornus consists of the species Cornus chinensis.Our last dogwood subgroup is the dwarf dogwoods that consist of the subgenus Arctocrania, which has further species like the Cornus canadensis and Cornus suecica.Colors in Dogwood TreesDid you know that the dogwood flowers’ color is actually from bracts that are often mistaken for flowers?So, what is a bract, you ask? A bract is basically a modified leaf and is not a flower associated with reproductive parts. The bracts in dogwoods are large with a distinctive appearance. However, the color of a dogwood tree can vary widely depending on the species and the color variation in its stems, berries, and leaves.With its bright red-colored stems, the red osier dogwood trees can easily elevate your winter landscape, making it a perfect view for Christmas. These stems are usually green colored with white flowers but start changing from bright red to purplish-red by the onset of fall and slowly intensify as winter sets in. When cultivated in humid regions, the red osier tree is also one of the hardiest shrubs-size dogwood plants.Other such pretty dogwoods that give us a spectacular winter landscape are the blood twig dogwood and the Cornus alba or red twig dogwoods. Apart from the red osier, numerous other Cornus plants have red stems. However, the colors are not just limited to red. Cornus plant species are also known for their colorful stems. Other popular dogwoods with unique stems are the flowering dogwood trees that exhibit reddish-brown colored twigs.The dogwoods are known for their dramatic fall color changes. While summer is the season for getting green leaves in dogwoods, these species develop deep red-colored foliage and orange or yellow during early fall and gradually transition into scarlet. Without a doubt, the dogwood plant has also earned itself some fans through its striking fall color.Several other species of the Cornus genus also produce unique fall foliage before the leaves change their colors. The summer gold dogwood tree has bright green leaves with yellow edges that start changing from pink to bright red as it progresses into the fall. This tree is also famous for the white flowers that bloom around early spring. The variegated red twig dogwood develops dark green leaves with creamy-white edges making them a striking image against a background of its flaming red stems.The prairie fire dogwood tree has gorgeous bright golden leaves that gradually transition into a pale yellow during the summers. During the fall foliage, the leaves of this species change from pale yellow to flaming red. The flowering dogwood tree produces dark green leaves, which turn into a crimson hue during fall. Other species such as the Cornus nuttallii or the Pacific flowering dogwood are known for their fall color, ranging from orange to yellow.Features And Characteristics Of Dogwood Berries And FlowersA dogwood flower can vary anywhere from red or pink to complete white. The tree’s fruit can more than often differ from red to yellowish-red and other colors. The tree looks like any other tree before it blooms.Dogwood flowers are often considered or believed to symbolize rebirth and durability and the ability to fight off challenges in life. However, apart from a social symbolism, the Cornus tree bloom has taken a lot of people’s breath away. Although most of the bloom is covered with white flowers, these flowers can also vary greatly among themselves in terms of color. Some trees might have red flowers, while others have pink flowers or light red flowers. The flowers of a dogwood tree usually contain just four petals.Even though the colors in terms of the flower of the tree are not limitless, they can nevertheless still vary in size and shape. These flowers can be anything from white flowers of the flowering dogwood or Cornus florida to the clusters of yellowish-white flowers of the pagoda dogwood or Cornus alternifolia.These plants are believed to have medicinal properties with no scientific support. Still, the parts of trees are found useful. So, let’s take a look at the fruits and flower blooms of some of the most famous dogwood trees. Also, as a side note, although almost all dogwood fruits are edible, some might be mildly toxic.The stiff dogwood, for instance, is a large shrub or small tree with brilliantly blue fruits with clusters of small white flowers. This small tree or shrubs-like plant grows breadth-wise primarily and has a flat-topped crown. The flowering dogwood or Cornus florida, native to eastern North America and northern Mexico, exhibits a bloom of green-yellow flowers (these are not bracts). These petals are not that noticeable, and the bloom could often be confused with the bracts that resemble white flowers, which are nothing, but white bracts. The bark of this plant has been popularly used in North America as a cure for malaria.Another popular Cornus is the Japanese dogwood or the kousa dogwood, which is native to eastern Asia and can produce a bloom from white to different shades of pink. Various cultivars give a spectacular landscape view. Some of which are Cornus florida rubra, which has beautiful pink bloom red fall foliage, and the Rutgers Stellar series, which was an effort by Dr. Elwin Orton, Rutgers University, to introduce hybrids that could resist dogwood anthracnose and borer.This series includes Aurora (the cornus x ‘rutban’), Constellation (the cornus x ‘rutcan’), Celestial (the cornus x ‘rutdan’), Stardust (the cornus x ‘rutfan’), Stellar Pink (the cornus x ‘rutgan’ ), and Ruth Ellen (the cornus x ‘rutlan’). Number Of Dogwood Species And When They BloomAs we discussed, there are over 50 species within the Cornus genus, which are native to mainly North America, Eurasia, and a few parts of South America. But let’s take you through a few beautiful hybrids of this plant which can easily be planted just like any other dogwood tree.The Aurora dogwood is an erect tree with white bloom and has a velvety look that later turns creamy white as it ages and mostly starts blooming when the flowering dogwood stops flowering, which is around late spring. The Constellation dogwood is a low branch tree with equal width and white bracts. It starts blooming around the same time the flowering dogwood stops blooming, again during late spring. The Celestial dogwood has bracts that are white and have a green hue and starts flowering around late spring when the C. Florida stops flowering.The Stardust dogwood is smaller than other Rutgers hybrids and has heavy branching like a hedge. It has white bracts that do not overlap, and again, begin flowering when the flowering dogwood stops blooming.Stellar Pink dogwoods are low-branched, round, soft pink bracts and bloom during the late spring season.Ruth Ellen dogwood has white blooms and has a significant low spreading like the flowering dogwood. The bloom season for this hybrid starts before the flowering dogwood could even end its blooming.So, now, if you want to plant dogwood, make sure to place them two-thirds the depth of the root ball and have the soil gently mounded around the root ball. Also, please make sure not to put the soil directly over the top of the root ball, and that’s all, folks! And oh, don’t forget to water sufficiently and give full or partial sunlight.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for dogwood trees: know amazing facts about their bloom and berries, then why not take a look at Cannellini beans nutrition Facts: these white beans can be your superfood or Black Eye Galaxy: curious facts on Solar system revealed for kids.
Majestically ornamental, dogwood trees are pretty and can give off a sakura vibe with fruits.
