Cornus florida
Photo by Shirley Denton. Photograph belongs to the photographer who allows use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B 9A 9B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Flowering Dogwood
Cornaceae
Plant Specifics
| Size: | 25-30 ft tall by 15-25 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | White | |
| Fruit Color: | Red | |
| Phenology: | Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in fall. Life span potentially up to 125 yrs but usually much shorter in cultivation (Nelson 2003). | |
| Habitats: | Mesic hardwood forests, pine-oak-hickory woods, mesic longleaf pinelands. |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen tree. It is known for its showy white "flowers" in the spring. What appears to be the flower petals are actually large bracts. The true flowers occur in a group in the center of the bracts. They are small and yellow-green. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Short very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
Birds and small mammals consume the fruit
Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies.
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon).