Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Cornus Florida

Size:

15' tall by 20' wide, up to 40' tall

Leaves:

opposite, simple, 3"-5" long, untoothed, with veins that bend up toward the tip

Flowers:

many tiny flowers crowded into a head and surrounded by 4 large white petal-like notched bracts; exceptional display in early spring, before leaves

Fruit:

noticeable bright red 1/3" long fruit (called a drupe), 3 or 4 in a cluster, with thin bitter pulp, eaten by mammals; spring

Fall Interest:

attractive maroon; deciduous

Culture:

partial sun with afternoon shade; evenly moist, fertile, well-drained soil

Disease/Insect:

powdery mildew, anthracnose, leaf spots, and others

Use:

small flowering tree, woodland garden

Cultivars:

many for larger bracts and bract color (pink)

Notes:

bark dark grayish brown, rough, broken into small square scaly blocks; branches horizontal with twigs ascending; bark and roots used by Native Americans as a remedy for malaria; native to Arkansas