Cynoxylon floridum (L.) Raf. ex B.D. Jacks.
Cornus florida L.
Flowering dogwood
Flowering dogwoods are common North American native plants in the wild, also popular in cultivated plantings.
Plants: Flowering dogwood is somewhere between a large bush, at a typical 15′ (4.6 m) in height, and a small tree, at up to 30′ (9.1 m). It has a single trunk and rounded crown typical of a tree. The trunk bark separates into square blocks or scales about 1″ (2.5 cm) across as the tree ages.
Leaves: Opposite, 4–8″ (10–20 cm) long and half as wide, with smooth edges and prominent veins, turning red to deep reddish purple in the fall.
Flowers: White, and up to 4″ (10 cm) across. Okay, I lied: in fact, the flowers are green (!), a small inconspicuous disc in the center of what appears to be the flower. The familiar white petals are actually bracts—modified leaves.
Fruits: Bright red, oval, ¼–½″ (6.3–12 mm) long, in small tight clusters.
Habitats: Forest edges and dry ridges.
Edibility: Poisonous 
Though favored by many types of
wildlife, the bright red berries are poisonous to people.
Online References:
References:
Petrides, George A., Peterson Field Guides: Trees and Shrubs, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1972, p. 76, 106
Symonds, George W. D.; photos by Chelminski, Stephen V., The Tree Identification Book, Harper, 2003, p. 112
Benthamidia florida (L.) Spach
Cynoxylon floridum (L.) Raf. ex B.D. Jacks.
Cynoxylon floridum (L.) Raf. ex B.D. Jacks.
1/1/2012 · Big Tree Trail • Tudor Richards Natural History and Forest Trail, Hollis, New Hampshire 
5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 2½′ (118 × 78 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain 
10/5/2010 · Susan and Raimond’s, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
7/6/2013 · Mike and Ellen’s, Shohola, Pennsylvania · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain 
5/31/2010 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
4/4/2011 · Oregon Ridge State Park, Timonium, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) ID is uncertain 
10/5/2010 · Susan and Raimond’s, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts ID is uncertain 
7/27/2016 · State Arboretum of Virginia, Boyce, Virginia 
10/5/2010 · Susan and Raimond’s, Phoenix, Maryland · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.9 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Cornales | Includes dogwoods, hydrangeas, stickleafs, tupelos, even sillyberries |
| Family | Cornaceae | Dogwood family |
| Genus | Cornus | Latin for “a horn” |
| Species | florida | Either (1) free flowering, producing abundant flowers; or (2) bright |
Cornus florida description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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