dogwood tree identification

You can identify a dogwood by looking for smooth-edged leaves with veins that curve parallel to the margins (edges). Flowers may or may not feature large bracts like those of the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). After pollination, they produce a type of fruit known as a drupe.

What does the bark on a dogwood tree look like?

Dogwood bark: Flowering dogwood tree bark is dark brown or gray, growing in square patterns surrounded by deep ridges. The dogwood bark has a distinct scaly appearance. Dogwood leaves: Flowering dogwood tree leaves are oval-shaped with delicate noticeable veins.

What tree looks like a dogwood tree?

The Bradford pear tree is a hybrid that produces small red and orange fruit in the fall. This tree also blooms vibrant soft pastel, pink and white flowers in the spring that look similar to dogwood blooms. Bradford pear trees also grow about the same size as some standard dogwoods.

Which dogwood berries are edible?

Kousa dogwood fruit – edible and quite delicious! The fruit of Kousa dogwoods is often called a berry, but it's technically an aggregate fruit that somewhat resembles a raspberry, although it's much larger.

Do all dogwood trees have berries?

ANSWER: North American dogwoods, Cornus species, are all hermaphroditic with both male (stamens and anthers) and female (stigma, style and ovary) flower parts. The female parts (ovaries) produce the berries but since all the Cornus species in North America are hermaphroditic, they will all have berries.

What is the smallest dogwood tree?

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

This is a very small plant, growing only 3 to 9 inches, although the leaves and flowers look similar to those on larger species of dogwood.

Can you keep Dogwood small?

A dogwood grows 1 or 2 feet each year until it's about 25 feet tall. You can keep the tree a bit shorter by heading upright branches back by one-third each year, but this may produce a tree that spreads wider than the usual 25 feet.

Why is it called dogwood?

Flowering dogwood is named for the showy spring flowers. The common name dogwood comes from one colonial description of the fruit as being edible but not fit for a dog. The common name dogwood is also thought to be from the use of the wood for skewers or “dogs.” Other common names include boxwood and cornel.

What zones do dogwood trees grow in?

In general, dogwoods grow best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. Some, such as the redtwig dogwood (Cornus alba) and the pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), are hardy to USDA zone 2, although the latter is only heat-hardy to USDA zone 7.

Are dogwoods invasive?

The introduced Asian species, Cornus kousa (Kousa Dogwood), however, is almost totally resistant and never invasive. This is just one example of how native plants are no panacea in the constructed environment of homes, city streets, parking lots, schools and commercial buildings.

Are dogwood berries toxic to dogs?

The red berries of the flowering dogwood are quite bitter, and they irritate dogs' stomachs and intestines. In large quantities, they can induce vomiting and diarrhea, and their larger seeds may cause intestinal blockage in small dogs.

Are common dogwood berries edible?

The berries are often regarded as poisonous, but this is not strictly true. While not poisonous they can prove to make one feel unwell if consumed as they are not edible. ... EDIBLE PARTS - The berries can be eaten, but may have an emetic effect on the body.

What are dogwood berries good for?

Kousa Dogwood berries contain some calcium and antioxidants. The fruits are also used in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, an aid to cleansing the liver, and an ingredient to help improve energy levels.

Are gray dogwood berries edible?

One really great (and often overlooked) shrub is Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa.) ... Like many other dogwoods, the fruit is not edible for humans but is relished by upland game birds and songbirds. Birds clear out the berries before winter and the red stems hang beautifully against the snowy backdrop.

Do birds eat dogwood berries?

The birds that eat dogwood berries include backyard favorites such as the northern mockingbird, eastern bluebird, hermit thrush, northern cardinal, common flicker, yellow-rumped warbler, gray catbird, pine warbler, yellow-bellied sapsucker, brown thrasher and cedar waxwing, as well as downy, hairy, pileated and red- ...

How old does a dogwood have to be to bloom?

Dogwoods often take five to seven years before they begin to bloom in earnest. The good news is that if it takes a while to bloom, it's because the plant is happy and healthy rather than because it's under stress, and should keep blooming away for years to come.

Is there such a thing as a dwarf dogwood tree?

Dwarf dogwood, is also known as bunchberry, bunchberry dogwood, and Canadian dwarf cornel. This perennial sub-shrub is a diminutive member of the dogwood family (Cornaceae). ... The form of dwarf dogwood's inflorescence, leaf shape and leaf venation are very similar to its relative, the flowering dogwood tree.

Are dogwood trees hard to grow?

The showy part of a dogwood flower is actually bracts, which are modified leaves that turn color. The true flower parts in the center of the bracts are less showy. Dogwoods are not difficult to grow if they are located in the proper site and if healthy trees are purchased and planted properly.

How fast do dogwood trees grow?

Growth Rate: Dogwoods grow at a slow to moderate rate (about 20 feet in 25 years). Ornamental Features: Each species brings its own value to the landscape. The “flowers” of the flowering dogwood and kousa dogwood are not actually flowers, but bracts, which are modified leaves that look like petals.

Can I plant a dogwood close to the house?

Locating small trees

Medium-sized trees can be planted 15 feet from the house and generally 35 or more feet apart. Small trees, such as the flowering dogwood, may be planted as close as 6 feet from the house and about 20 feet apart.

Can you grow a dogwood tree in a container?

Can I grow dogwood in a container? Technically, yes. It's possible, but there are certain requirements to be met, and it's not for the casual gardener. Dogwood trees have very dense, fast growing root systems that are less than ideal for container growing.

Where is the best place to plant a dogwood tree?

Selecting where to plant your dogwood: Choose a site for your dogwoods that is well-drained but does not get extremely dry. Soil high in organic matter is best. Dogwoods can be planted in full sun or partial shade, though partial shade is best (morning sun in particular).