Flowering Dogwood
(Cornaceae Cornus
florida)
Adopted on June 20,
1955.
On June 20, 1955, the
flowering dogwood,
Cornaceae Cornus florida,
became Missouri's official
tree. The tree is small in
size, rarely growing over 40
feet in height or 18 inches
in diameter. The dogwood
sprouts tiny greenish-yellow
flowers in clusters, with
each flower surrounded by
four white petals. The
paried, oval leaves are
olive green above and
covered with silvery hairs
underneath. In the fall, the
upper part of the leaves
turns scarlet or orange and
bright red fruits grow on
the tree.
White flowers bloom in spring. Dark green foliage changes to red in
fall. Red berries remain on
tree late in fall.
Flowering dogwood (Cornus
florida) is one of
America's most popular
ornamental trees. Known to
most people simply as
dogwood, it has other common
names, including boxwood and
cornel. The species name
florida is Latin for
flowering, but the showy
petal-like bracts are not in
fact flowers. The bright red
fruit of this fast-growing
short-lived tree are
poisonous to humans but
provide a great variety of
wildlife with food. The wood
is smooth, hard and
close-textured and now used
for specialty products.
State arboreal
emblem.
10.040. The flowering
dogwood scientifically
designated as Cornus
Florida L. is declared
to be the arboreal
emblem of Missouri and
the state department of
agriculture shall
recognize it as the
official state tree and
encourage its
cultivation on account
of the beauty of its
flower and foliage.
(L. 1955 p. 769 § 1,
A.L. 1957 p. 726)
Description:
- Leaf:
Opposite, simple,
arcuately veined, 3 to 6
inches long, oval in
shape with an entire
margin.
- Flower: Very
small, but surrounded by
4 large white
(occasionally pink)
bracts, 2 inches in
diameter. Appearing
March to April in the
south, June in the
north.
- Fruit: A
shiny, oval red drupe,
1/4 to 1/2 inch long, in
clusters of 3 to 4.
Maturing in September to
October.
- Twig:
Slender, green or
purple, later turning
gray, often with a
glaucous bloom. The
terminal flower buds are
clove-shaped, vegetative
buds resemble a cat
claw.
- Bark: Gray
when young, turning very
scaly to blocky.
- Form: A small
tree with a short trunk
that branches low,
producing a flat-topped
crown. Branches are
opposite, and assume a
"candelabra" appearance.
Taxonomic
Hierarchy
|
Kingdom |
Plantae --
Plants |
Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta --
Vascular plants |
Superdivision |
Spermatophyta –
Seed plants |
Division |
Magnoliophyta –
Flowering plants |
Class |
Magnoliopsida –
Dicotyledons |
Subclass |
Rosidae – |
Order |
Cornales – |
Family |
Cornaceae –
Dogwood family |
Genus |
Cornus
L. – dogwood |
Species |
Cornus
florida L. –
flowering
dogwood |
Source:
Dendrology at
Virginia Tech
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
|