''Cornus florida'', the flowering dogwood, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering tree in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Cornaceae
The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, ''Alangium'' and ''Cornus''. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, alt ...
native to eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and northern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
south to northern
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and west to the Mississippi River. The tree is commonly planted as an ornamental in residential and public areas because of its showy
bracts
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
and interesting bark structure.
Classification
The flowering dogwood is usually included in the dogwood
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Cornus'' as ''Cornus florida'' L., although it is sometimes treated in a separate genus as ''Benthamidia florida'' (L.) Spach. Less common names for ''C. florida'' include American dogwood, Florida dogwood, Indian arrowwood, Cornelian tree, white cornel, white dogwood, false box, and false boxwood.
Two
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are generally recognized:
Description
Flowering dogwood is a small
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
growing to high, often wider than it is tall when mature, with a trunk diameter of up to . A 10-year-old tree will stand about tall. The
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are opposite, simple, ovate, long and broad, with an apparently entire margin (actually very finely toothed, under a lens); they turn a rich red-brown in fall.
Flowering dogwood attains its greatest size and growth potential in the Upper South, sometimes up to 40 feet in height. At the northern end of its range, heights of 30–33 feet are more typical. Hot, humid summer weather is necessary for new growth to harden off in the fall.
The maximum lifespan of ''C. florida'' is about 80 years.
The
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are individually small, inconspicuous, and a hermaphrodite, with four, greenish-yellow petals (not bracts) long. Around 20 flowers are produced in a dense, rounded,
umbel
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
-shaped
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
, or flower-head, in diameter. The
flower-head is surrounded by four conspicuous large white, pink or red bracts (not petals), each bract long and broad, rounded, and often with a distinct notch at the apex.
When in the wild they can typically be found at the forest edge and frequently on dry ridges. While most of the wild trees have white bracts, some selected
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s of this tree also have pink bracts, some even almost a true red. They typically flower in early April in the southern part of their range, to late April or early May in northern and high altitude areas. The similar
Kousa dogwood Kousa may refer to:
* Kousa dogwood (''Cornus kousa'')
* ''kousa'' or ''kōsa'', known as Asian Dust
* Kōsa (also known as Honganji Kennyo), the leader of Ishiyama Hongan-ji and Ikkō-Ikki rebels.
* Kousa or kusa, a type of squash (fruit)
'' ...
(''
Cornus kousa
''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shrub ...
''), native to
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, flowers about a month later.
The
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
is a cluster of two to ten separate
drupe
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...
s, (fused in ''Cornus kousa''), each long and about wide, which ripen in the late summer and the early fall to a bright red, or occasionally yellow with a rosy blush. They are an important food source for dozens of species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s, which then distribute the
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s. They are also a larval host plant for several moth varieties, including ''
Eudeilinia herminiata
''Eudeilinia herminiata'', the northern eudeilinia, is a moth in the family Drepanidae. It was described by Achille Guenée in 1857. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from British Columbia to Newfoundland, south to Florida a ...
'', the
dogwood thyatirid moth, ''
Antispila cornifoliella
''Antispila cornifoliella'' is a moth of the family Heliozelidae. It is found in North America, including Alberta, Maryland, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania and Quebec.
The larvae feed on ''Cornus (genus), Cornus'' species. They leaf miner, mine the ...
'', the
stinging rose moth, the
grand arches moth, the pecan bark borer, the
dogwood borer, the
rosaceaous leaf roller, the
diamondback epinotia moth,
spring azures,
cecropia
''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees.
The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...
moths, and the
Io moth
''Automeris io'', the Io moth () or peacock moth, is a colorful North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The io moth is also a member of the subfamily Hemileucinae. The name Io comes from Greek mythology in which Io was a mortal lover of ...
. While not poisonous to humans, the fruit is extremely sour and unpleasant-tasting. Flowering dogwood is monoecious, meaning the tree has both male and female flowers, and all trees will produce fruit.
File:Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida Flower High DoF Cropped.JPG, ''Cornus florida'' inflorescence, showing four large white bracts and central flower cluster.
File:Dogwood flower closeup 20080427 141400 1 crop sharp.png, Close up of a flower cluster showing the four pale green petals on each flower.
File:Benthamidia florida8.jpg, Fruits
File:Cornus florida seeds.jpg, Seeds
File:Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida Bark 2000px.jpg, Bark
File:Cornus florida in Eastwoodhill Arboretum (3).jpg, Leaf
Cultivation
Flowering dogwood does best
horticulturally in moist,
acidic soil
Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the neg ...
in a site with some afternoon shade, but good morning sun. It does not do well when exposed to intense heat sources such as adjacent parking lots or air conditioning compressors. It also has a low
salinity
Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...
tolerance. The
hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
is 5–9 and the preferred pH is between 6.0 and 7.0.
In urban and suburban settings, care should be taken not to inflict mower damage on the trunk or roots, as this increases the tree's susceptibility to disease and pest pressure.
The common flowering dogwood has been placed on the endangered species list in Ontario. Sites should be selected for reasonably well-drained, fertile soils; full sun is recommended in high-hazard areas (such as stream or pond banks). New plantings should be mulched to a depth of , avoiding the stem. Dead wood and leaves should be pruned and completely removed and destroyed yearly. Plants should be watered weekly during droughts, with watering done in the morning, avoiding wetting the foliage. Registered
fungicides
Fungicides are biocidal chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill parasitic fungi or their spores. A fungistatic inhibits their growth. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality, ...
can be applied when necessary, according to manufacturers instructions and advice of local
Extension Service library Extension service may refer to:
* Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), a USDA office
* Agricultural extension services, educational services offered to farmers and other growers
* Church extension service ...
.
![2013-05-10 08 26 08 Closeup of pink dogwoods at the Brendan T](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/2013-05-10_08_26_08_Closeup_of_pink_dogwoods_at_the_Brendan_T._Byrne_State_Forest_headquarters.jpg)
Flowering dogwood is grown widely throughout the
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
world.
;Selected cultivars
*'Amerika Touch-O-Pink' – large bracts, tinged pink; large leaves; good disease resistance.
*'Appalachian Spring' – large white bracts; red fall foliage; resistant to dogwood
anthracnose
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
.
*'Autumn Gold' – white bracts; yellow fall color.
*'Barton' – large white bracts; blooms at early age; resistant to stem
canker
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
and
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
.
*'Bay Beauty' – double white bracts; resists heat and drought; good for
Deep South
The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...
.
*'Cherokee Daybreak' – white bract; vigorous grower with
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
leaves.
*'Cherokee Chief' – red bracts; red new growth.
*'Cherokee Brave' – Even redder than 'Cherokee Chief', smaller bracts but dark red color; consistently resistant to
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
.
*'Cherokee Princess' – vigorous white bracts, industry standard for white flowers.
*'Cherokee Sunset' – purplish-red bracts;
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
foliage.
*'Gulf Coast Pink' – best pink flowering dogwood in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
– northern part only.
*'Hohman's Gold' – white bracts;
variegated
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves and sometimes the stems and fruit of plants. Species with variegated individuals are sometimes found in the understory of tropical rainforests, and this habitat is the s ...
foliage.
*'Jean's Appalachian Snow' – large, overlapping white bracts w/ green flowers; very resistant to
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
.
*'Karen's Appalachian Blush' – delicate white bracts edged in pink; some
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
resistance.
*'Kay's Appalachian Mist' – stiff, creamy white bracts; red fall foliage; good resistance to
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
.
*'Plena' – double white bracts; spot
anthracnose
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
-resistant.
*'Purple Glory' – red bracts; purple foliage; spot
anthracnose
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
-resistant but susceptible to
stem canker
A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
.
*'Weaver White' – large white blooms; large leaves; candelabra shape; good in north-central
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
Propagation
''Cornus florida'' is easily propagated by seeds, which are sown in the fall into prepared rows of
sawdust
Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling, planing, and routing. It is composed of small chippings of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, ...
or sand, and emerge in the spring.
Germination
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...
rates for good clean seed should be near 100% if seed dormancy is first overcome by cold
stratification
Stratification may refer to:
Mathematics
* Stratification (mathematics), any consistent assignment of numbers to predicate symbols
* Data stratification in statistics
Earth sciences
* Stable and unstable stratification
* Stratification, or str ...
treatments for 90 to 120 days at .
[Hartmann, HT, DE Kester, FT Davies, RL Geneve. 2002. Hartmann and Kester's Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices, 7th Edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. pp. 769.]
Flowering dogwood demonstrates
gametophytic
A gametophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has on ...
self-incompatibility
Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...
, meaning that the plants can't self-fertilize. This is important for breeding programs as it means that it is not necessary to
emasculate
Emasculation is the removal of both the penis and the testicles, the external male sex organs. It differs from castration, which is the removal of the testicles only, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The potential medical ...
(remove the
anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
from) ''C. florida'' flowers before making controlled
cross-pollinations. These pollinations should be repeated every other day, as the flowers must be
cross-pollinated
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...
within one or two days of opening for
pollination
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds ...
s to be effective.
Softwood
cuttings taken in late spring or early summer from new growth can be rooted under mist if treated with 8,000 to 10,000 ppm
indole-3-butyric acid
Indole-3-butyric acid (1''H''-indole-3-butanoic acid, IBA) is a white to light-yellow crystalline solid, with the molecular formula C12H13NO2. It melts at 125 °C in atmospheric pressure and decomposes before boiling. IBA is a plant hormone ...
(IBA). In cold climates, potted cuttings must be kept in heated cold frames or
polyhouse
A polytunnel (also known as a polyhouse, hoop greenhouse or hoophouse, grow tunnel or high tunnel) is a tunnel typically made from steel and covered in polyethylene, usually semi-circular, square or elongated in shape. The interior heats up beca ...
s the following winter to maintain temperatures between . Although rooting success can be as high as 50–85%, this technique is not commonly used by commercial growers. Rather, selected cultivars are generally propagated by
T-budding in late summer or by whip
grafting
Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
in the greenhouse in winter onto seedling rootstock.
Micropropagation
Micropropagation or tissue culture is the practice of rapidly multiplying plant stock material to produce many progeny plants, using modern plant tissue culture methods.
Micropropagation is used to multiply a wide variety of plants, such as th ...
of flowering dogwood is now used in breeding programs aiming to incorporate resistance to dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew into horticulturally and economically important cultivars.
Nodal
Nodal homolog is a secretory protein that in humans is encoded by the ''NODAL'' gene which is located on chromosome 10q22.1. It belongs to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily (TGF-β superfamily). Like many other members of this superf ...
(
axillary bud
The axillary bud (or lateral bud) is an embryonic or organogenic shoot located in the axil of a leaf. Each bud has the potential to form shoots, and may be specialized in producing either vegetative shoots (stems and branches) or reproductive sh ...
) sections are established in a culture of Woody Plant Medium (WPM) amended with 4.4 μmol/L 6-Benzyladenine (BA) to promote shoot growth.
Rooting of up to 83% can be obtained when 5–7 week-old microshoots are then transferred to WPM amended with 4.9 μmol/L IBA.
Diseases
Dogwood anthracnose caused by the fungi ''
Discula destructiva
''Discula destructiva'' is a fungus in the family Gnomoniaceae which causes dogwood anthracnose, affecting populations of dogwood trees native to North America.
It was introduced to the United States in 1978 and is distributed throughout the Ea ...
'' has caused severe mortality of dogwoods. In regions where dogwood anthracnose is a problem, homeowners and public land managers are encouraged to know the symptoms and inspect trees frequently. The selection of healthy, disease-free planting stock is essential and transplanting trees from the forest should be avoided. Species of
Phytophthora
''Phytophthora'' (from Greek language, Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species are capable of causing enormous economic losses on cro ...
cause
Root Rot
Root rot is a condition in which anoxic conditions in the soil or potting media around the roots of a plant cause them to rot. This occurs due to excessive standing water around the roots. It is found in both indoor and outdoor plants, although ...
.
Historical uses
Native Americans used the bark and roots in a remedy for
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
; a red dye was also extracted from the roots.
The species has been used in the production of inks,
scarlet dyes, and as a
quinine
Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...
substitute. The hard, dense wood has been used for products such as
golf club
A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Wood (golf), Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; iron (golf), irons, the most versatile class ...
heads,
mallets
A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and proport ...
, wooden rake teeth, tool handles, jeweler's boxes and butcher's blocks.
''Cornus florida'' is the
state tree
This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory trees, including official trees of the following of the states, of the federal district, and of the territories.
Table
See also
* List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insign ...
and flower of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, the
state tree
This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory trees, including official trees of the following of the states, of the federal district, and of the territories.
Table
See also
* List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insign ...
of
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, and
state flower
This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory flowers.
See also
*List of U.S. state trees
* Lists of U.S. state insignia
References
External linksList of state flowers
{{USStateLists
*
U.S. state flowers
Flowers
...
of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.
It was used to treat dogs with
mange
Mange is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Because various species of mites also infect plants, birds and reptiles, the term "mange", or colloquially "the mange", suggesting poor condition of the skin and fur due to the infection ...
, which may be how it got its name.
[ The red berries are not edible, despite some rumors otherwise.
In 1915, 40 dogwood saplings were donated by the ]U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
to Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in the 1912-15 exchange of flowers between Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
and Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
While the cherry blossom
A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...
trees survived the ensuing sour relations of these two countries and are the main feature of the National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Prunus × yedoensis, Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington, D.C. Ozaki gave ...
, all dogwood trees in Tokyo died except the one that had been planted in an agriculture high school. In 2012, the United States sent 3,000 dogwood saplings to Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Washington, D.C., cherry trees given as a gift to the U.S. by Japan in 1912.
References
External links
Bioimages: ''Cornus florida''
Flora of Pennsylvania
Floridata: ''Cornus florida''
* ttp://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/dogwood.html University of California @ Davis, Integrated Pest Management Online: Dogwood pest management
Cornell University, Integrated Pest Management, Dogwood Borer
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080509060251/http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdiseasefs/450-611/450-611.html Virginia State University Cooperative Extension, Foliar Diseases of Dogwood
flowering dogwood - Interactive Native Range Distribution Map of ''Cornus florida''
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q887221
florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
Trees of North America
Hardwood forest plants
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Ornamental trees
Medicinal plants of North America
Symbols of North Carolina
Symbols of Virginia
Cloud forest flora of Mexico